Following the November 19 court sentencing of 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy figures from a group of 47 pro-democracy figures charged with “conspiring to subvert state power,” Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) stated that democracy is no crime, and strongly condemned the CCP government for utilizing judicial tactics and unjust procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of expression of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong. The 45 pro-democracy figures were sentenced to four to 10 years in prison, the spokesperson said, in a serious violation of the Hong Kong people’s pursuit of freedom and democracy. This not only shows that the promises that Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years and would have a high degree of autonomy have been broken, but also proves that “one country, two systems” is unviable, she said.

Spokesperson Kuo stated that the peoples of Taiwan and Hong Kong jointly pursue freedom and democracy, and that Taiwan will continue to speak up for Hong Kong and provide practical support through the Hong Kong Humanitarian Aid Project. Democracy and freedom are universal values, she said, and called on the global democratic community to focus attention on the situation in Hong Kong. The spokesperson said that Taiwan and our partners in the defense of freedom will press on together, and that as a member of the democratic community, Taiwan will continue to work with the international community to jointly resist expansion of authoritarian power.