Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, commented on the effect of the Hong Kong protests on the 2020 Taiwan presidential elections. Professor Larus indicated that the “one country, two systems” formula applied to Hong Kong after 1997 was never a popular concept in Taiwan. China originally offered the formula to Taiwan in the 1980s as an incentive to join the mainland. She indicated that it would be political suicide for the Taiwan government, whether it be DPP or KMT, to support it in Taiwan now. She indicated that the response by the HK government to protests against a proposed extradition law there killed any chances of Taiwan accepting the “one country, two systems” formula. Dr. Larus also indicated that the HK protests and the HK government’s response has forced Kaohsiung mayor and KMT presidential candidate to step away from his earlier advocacy of “one country, two systems” and to be more cautious in advocating closer relations with China. She indicated that a crackdown on protesters in HK could also change the political dynamics on Taiwan.