TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A think tank event featuring KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in New York on Monday turned tense after a Chinese attendee condemned Chinese leader Xi Jinping and warned that Taiwan could “become the next Hong Kong.”
Cheng was taking part in a panel discussion hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute, with ASPI fellow Danny Russel and US sinologist Orville Schell, per SET News. Asked what proportion of Taiwanese would accept Xi’s unification proposal, Cheng said the vast majority have long supported maintaining the status quo.
She added that only a minority would choose either “independence” or “unification.” She argued that decades of cross-strait divergence and a decade of halted exchanges would make any referendum on peaceful unification difficult.
During questions, a man asked about Cheng’s visit to China. He commented: “Xi wants to take over Taiwan because Taiwan is a democratic society, while China is an authoritarian society. Authoritarian societies do not allow democratic societies to exist.”
After his microphone was confiscated, the man displayed the back of his shirt reading, “Embrace the Communist Party, Taiwan will become Hong Kong."
Cheng thanked him for the question and said that she had previously visited Meituan in Shanghai, where the company is working on drone deliveries of bubble tea. “At the time, I said I hope drones are not used as weapons. Drones should be used to deliver milk tea,” said Cheng.
