‘Taiwan democracy not for sale’: Pushback after Elon Musk’s ‘recommendation’

Days after stirring a row with his comments on the Russia and Ukraine conflict, Elon Musk – the world’s richest person – has now found himself at the center of a controversy linked to China and Taiwan.

The tech billionaire has been lately sharing his views on how to resolve crucial international issues. “My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy,” the 51-year-old told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.

This was in response to a question on Tesla’s operation in China as he touched upon the sensitive matter – Beijing, which has been accused of its expansionist policies, has been claiming Taiwan as part of its province.

After Musk’s comments sparked a debate, Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington, tweeted on Saturday: “Any lasting proposal for our future must be determined peacefully, free from coercion, and respectful of the democratic wishes of the people of Taiwan.”

She made the country’s stand clear in one sharp statement: “Taiwan sells many products, but our freedom and democracy are not for sale.”

But it was not just criticism that came Musk’s way. “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,” tweeted Chinese ambassador to US, Qin Gang, thanking Musk.

“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 (Sic),” he added. The “One Country, Two Systems” model of autonomy – similar to what Hong Kong has – has been rejected by Taiwan’s mainstream political parties.

A couple of days ago, Musk was accused of making light of Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian regions.

“Ukraine-Russia Peace: Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is the will of the people, Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake), Water supply to Crimea assured, Ukraine remains neutral,” Musk had written on Twitter with a “yes or no” poll.

Expectedly, it evoked a pushback from Kyiv. “Which @elonmusk do you like more? – one who supports Ukraine, one who supports Russia,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted.