Elon Musk Praised by China , Slammed by Taiwan

Elon Musk Praised by China for Suggesting Communists Exert Control in Taiwan, then gets slammed by Taiwan : Our freedom is ‘not for sale’

Over the weekend, Chinese government officials congratulated Elon Musk for his thoughts on Taiwan, which he revealed in a recent interview with the Financial Times. Musk stated that Taiwan, which is currently self-governing as a democracy, should be ruled by China, which has not occurred since 1949.

“My recommendation…  would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy. And it’s possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong,” Musk is quoted as saying in the Financial Times.

Musk, who is simply not very bright, was quick to point out that any agreement should be “more liberal than Hong Kong,” most likely since the world experienced what it means when the Chinese government comes to throw its weight around in 2019. Hong Kong, which was historically autonomous like Taiwan until Beijing began to exercise influence in the city, had a robust film sector, to name one example. The Chinese government now selects what movies citizens in Hong Kong can view.

However, Chinese officials such as Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to the United States, praised Musk’s notion of a special administrative zone.

“I would like to thank @elonmusk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait and his idea about establishing a special administrative zone for Taiwan. Actually, Peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems are our basic principles for resolving the Taiwan question and the best approach to realizing national reunification,” the ambassador tweeted.

China’s Foreign Ministry also highlighted Musk’s remarks over the weekend, reiterating the billionaire’s belief that Taiwan was a part of China and should be ruled in part by the Chinese Communist Party.

“The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. China’s position on resolving the Taiwan question is consistent and clear. We remain committed to the basic principle of peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems and aim to work with the greatest sincerity and effort to achieve peaceful reunification,” spokesperson Mao Ning said, according to an official readout of her press conference.

“At the same time, we will resolutely defeat attempts to pursue the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist agenda, push back interference by external forces, and safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she continued.

While the Chinese consistently claim that “peaceful reunification” is the priority, Beijing has not shied away from stating that it will use force to conquer Taiwan.

Why would Musk hand over the liberties of Taiwan’s 23 million citizens on a silver platter? It’s most likely all about money. As many have pointed out, Musk’s company Tesla established a massive facility in Shanghai in 2018. While Tesla is suffering in the United States, it is supposedly booming in China. Taiwanese citizens have taken notice and, to put it mildly, are not pleased with Musk.

“Taiwan sells many products, but our freedom and democracy are not for sale,” Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s ambassador to the U.S., tweeted over the weekend.

“Any lasting proposal for our future must be determined peacefully, free from coercion, and respectful of the democratic wishes of the people of Taiwan,” Hsiao continued.

However, Taiwan has repeatedly rejected a one country, two systems arrangement

Musk’s Taiwan plan need a “reality check.”

Musk, the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla and the current owner of social networking site Twitter, has a history of dabbling in geopolitics.

Last week, the billionaire enraged Ukrainian officials by holding a poll on Twitter about the anticipated outcome of the war with Russia.

Musk has also been quite complimentary of China, one of Tesla’s largest and most important markets, and the location of its Shanghai Gigafactory.

According to one China observer, Musk’s plan on Taiwan “deserves a lot of unpacking and maybe even a bit of a reality check.”

“The only problem with this for Mr Musk is that the people of Taiwan simply don’t agree with that type of arrangement,” Bates Gill of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Monday.

Gill suggested Musk may want to take a closer look at the nuances around issues such as the relationship between China and Taiwan.

“The world’s wealthiest man obviously feels he has a lot to say on these geopolitical questions. I would only suggest that he take a lot harder look at the realities, the historical precedents and geopolitical contestation that surround all of these questions before giving us all a lesson in diplomacy,” Gill said.