Beijing and Taipei have responded to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s suggestion that Taiwan becomes a special administrative zone of China.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the world’s richest man expressed confidence that the two governments could strike a “fairly acceptable” agreement.
The Chinese ambassador to the United States lauded Musk, but his Taiwanese colleague stated that freedom “is not for sale.”
Taiwan is self-governing, although Beijing claims it as its own.
Mr. Musk was criticized last week for posting a Twitter poll with his recommendations for settling the war between Russia and Ukraine, which included Kiev ceding land to Moscow.
Mr. Musk’s remarks come as the electric car manufacturer sets a monthly sales record in China.
He commented on the escalating China-Taiwan tensions in a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, which was published on Friday.
“I would propose to come up with a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is somewhat palatable,” he stated.
And it is feasible, and I believe likely, that they could have a more permissive structure than Hong Kong.
China’s ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, welcomed Mr. Musk’s proposal to establish Taiwan as a special administrative zone on Saturday.
He stated on Twitter that “peaceful reunification” and the “one nation, two systems” approach are China’s “fundamental principles for resolving the Taiwan issue.”
“Provided that China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests are protected,” he continued, “Taiwan would have a high degree of autonomy as a special administrative entity after reunification, as well as a huge development space.”
In reaction, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-Khim, stated on Twitter, “Taiwan sells numerous goods, but our freedom and democracy are not for sale.”
Ms. Hsiao continued, “Any sustainable proposition for our future must be determined peacefully, without force, and with respect for the democratic desires of the people of Taiwan.”
“Consider that Elon Musk is allegedly on the verge of purchasing Twitter. Twitter is prohibited in China since free expression is prohibited there “Ms. Goto remarked.
“Therefore, if he invests in Twitter, his company will likely not be able to operate in Taiwan that will be subject to Chinese pressure and influence. That would be a self-destructive act by Elon Musk “She continued.
China views Taiwan as a province that would inevitably fall under Beijing’s sovereignty.
In September, Tesla delivered 83,135 electric vehicles manufactured in China, according to data published by the China Passenger Car Association on Sunday.
This surpassed the previous record set by the business in June and was a significant achievement for Tesla’s Shanghai factory, which has been attempting to increase production.
