TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The government of Taiwan is calling on China to listen to the voice of protestors in a rare show of dissent not seen in decades.
Dubbed the “White Paper” movement, the campaign against stringent zero COVID restrictions and calling for the stepping down of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) has triggered rallies in Urumqi, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and other Chinese cities.
Taiwan Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), who is in Japan on a five-day visit, expressed concern for the people taking to the streets. He urged the Chinese government to heed people’s demands and push for reform.
Other Taiwanese officials have also voiced their concerns over the situation in China. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Taiwan is keeping an eye on the development of the incident, including looking for signs of Beijing’s military maneuvers toward Taiwan as a distraction.
The Mainland Affairs Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) are asking the Chinese Communist Party to answer people’s calls and avoid disproportionate anti-COVID restrictions. The basic rights as well as the freedoms of speech and movement must be protected for those living in China, said MOFA.
Protests were largely muted on Tuesday with a heavy police presence at locations of protests the night before. Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University in Beijing, are sending students home in a move the schools claim protects the students, but is seen as a way to reduce the momentum for further activism, according to AP.
