By Oyintari Ben
Elon Musk stated that Taiwan should become a “special administrative zone” of China, akin to Hong Kong, but Su Tseng-chang, the Premier of Taiwan, claimed the billionaire “doesn’t know much” about the self-governing island.
The richest man in the world, whose Tesla electric vehicle firm runs a significant factory in China, has incited resentment in Taiwan due to a recent interview he gave to the Financial Times that touched on the island’s frequently difficult relationship with Beijing.
After President Tsai Ing-wen, Su is Taiwan’s most senior politician. On Tuesday, Su told a parliamentary session that Musk is a businessman who wants to promote his electric vehicles and has a sizable car manufacturing in Shanghai.
The premier is the highest-ranking politician to have responded to Musk’s remarks so far. “A businessman may say this today and say that tomorrow,” he remarked.
Su continued, “Musk only talks for himself but he truly knows very little about Taiwan and also doesn’t comprehend cross-strait relations.”
In an interview with the Financial Times that was released on Friday, Musk stated his opinion that Taiwan should reach a “reasonably palatable” arrangement with Beijing.
He continued, “My suggestion would be to come up with a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is relatively tolerable, probably won’t please everyone.
And it’s possible, and I believe they very well may have a more lenient arrangement than Hong Kong.
The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, thanked Elon Musk for his “appeal for peace” on Twitter on Saturday.
He said that “peaceful reunification is also advantageous to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific and the wider globe” and that “One Country, Two Systems” and “Peaceful Reunification” were our fundamental ideas for settling the Taiwan crisis.
