Foreign
EUROPE would be naive about Beijing’s intentions towards Taiwan as in the case of Hong Kong, a top EU lawmaker said in Taipei on Thursday.
Before wrapping up her three-day visit, Nicola Beer, the vice president of the European Parliament, told a news conference that, in the case of Hong Kong, Europe was too late and was also too naïve.
According to Beer, Europe once thought that Beijing will stick to its promise to respect the system in Hong Kong that had afforded the territory a high degree of autonomy from the mainland.
“It was not fulfilled. So we have to take our lesson not to be naive in the case of Taiwan.
“And this is the reason why we make it clear that we stand for the freedom and for democracy in Taiwan,’’ Beer said.
When China 1997 regained control of Hong Kong, a former British colony, it promised to allow democratic freedoms to continue for 50 years.
However, it has tightened controls, often in reaction to protesters demanding more democracy in Hong Kong.
In mid-2020, Beijing imposed a strict national security law there as further silence dissent.
In the company of Taiwan’s foreign minister, Beer late Wednesday visited Taipei’s Causeway Bay Books, run by an exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, Lam Wing-kee, to exchange views with well-known rights figures. (dpa/NAN)
A.I
Tags: EU Parliament Lam Wing-kee Nicola Beer
