• China’s envoy to the US commended Elon Musk for suggesting a special administration zone for Taiwan.
• Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington rebuked Musk, stating that Taiwan’s “freedom and democracy are not for sale”.
• China has long threatened to subjugate Taiwan, which it claims as one of its provinces.

China’s envoy to the United States commended Elon Musk for suggesting a special administration zone for Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington rebuked Musk, stating that Taiwan’s “freedom and democracy are not for sale.”

Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington, tweeted on Saturday, “Taiwan sells many products, but our freedom and democracy are not for sale.” “Any lasting proposal for our future must be determined peacefully, free from coercion, and respectful of the democratic wishes of the people of Taiwan.”

In a Saturday tweet congratulating Musk, China’s ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, emphasized Beijing’s call for “peaceful reunification and ‘one country, two systems” for the island.

Musk proposed that tensions between China and Taiwan could be handled by ceding some authority of Taiwan to Beijing, days after offering a solution to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that attracted widespread condemnation in Ukraine.

Musk told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday, “My recommendation . . .  would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy.”

Musk was responding to a query regarding Tesla’s (TSLA.O) massive facility in China.

Beijing has long threatened to subjugate Taiwan, which it claims as one of its provinces, and has not ruled out its use of force. Taiwan’s democratically governed government vehemently rejects China’s sovereignty claims, stating that only the island’s 23 million inhabitants can choose Taiwan’s future.

In tweets sent on Saturday, the Chinese ambassador stated, “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,” he continued.

“Provided that China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests are guaranteed, after reunification Taiwan will enjoy a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative region, and a vast space for development,” the ambassador wrote.

China has offered Taiwan an autonomy model akin to Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems.” Still, it has been rejected by all mainstream political parties in Taiwan. It has very little public support, particularly after Beijing enforced a strict National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020.

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