Hong Kong calls Taiwan's democratisation journey 'inspiring'
Aug 26, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], August 26 : Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law has praised Taiwan's democratic journey as a source of "inspiration" for his own advocacy work, adding that Hong Kongers should take note of how the country spent decades fighting for freedom, Focus Taiwan reported.
Speaking at the launch of his new book in Taipei, Law highlighted Taiwan's decades-long struggle for freedom as a model for Hong Kong to follow. The book, 'When the Wind Blows - The Struggles for Freedom of Hong Kong', chronicles Law's personal story and experiences in exile.
He further said he chose to promote his new book in Taiwan because it is no longer possible to release it in Hong Kong.
Born in China and raised in Hong Kong, Nathan Law was a student leader in the city's 2014 Umbrella Movement and a prominent figure in the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement (Anti-ELAB Movement), which was the largest series of demonstrations in Hong Kong's history, opposing Beijing's growing control over the former British colony, Focus Taiwan reported.
After going into exile before the enactment of the National Security Law in the Chinese city on June 30, 2020, Law, currently based in London, continues to advocate globally for Hong Kong's freedom and democracy.
He has continued to engage with international leaders, despite being wanted by the city's police.
During the discussion session at the event, Law mentioned that his father left for Hong Kong from southern China in the 1970s, as the city was then seen as a place of hope for Chinese refugees.
"But in our generation, 40 years later, Hong Kong has already become a place that exports refugees," said Law, who was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom in 2021.
Robert Tsao, one of the panellists and the founder of contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp, said the new book reminded him of the impact and awakening he experienced in Hong Kong when he joined the street protests during the Anti-ELAB Movement, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
Tsao said that Hong Kongers' resistance to Beijing's crackdown has awakened Taiwanese people to the threat posed by the Chinese authorities and stressed that Taiwan, as the last bastion of freedom in the Chinese-speaking world, must not fall.
