《TAIPEI TIMES》 MAC urges China to ease COVID curbs

DEMOCRATIC STIRRINGS: The protests in China signal the dawn of a new era in which Chinese will no longer remain silent and will rise up against tyranny, Wang Dan said

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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The Mainland Affairs Council （MAC） yesterday called on China to respond to its people’s demands and change its harsh COVID-19 policy as mass protests spread across cities.

Demonstrations have erupted in China against the government’s strict “zero COVID” policy after restrictions reportedly delayed rescue efforts in a deadly fire on Thursday in Urumqi, Xinjiang, leading to 10 deaths.

The world, including Taiwan, is closely watching the protests that are unfolding in China as more people become disgruntled with its excessive virus restrictions, the council said in a statement, urging Beijing to make gradual changes to its strict epidemic prevention rules so that people can return to their normal lives.

In Taipei, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung （潘文忠） yesterday called on an estimated 12,000 Taiwanese students in China to be alert to any changes and ensure they are safe.

At a Ministry of National Defense news conference, spokesman Sun Li-fang （孫立方） said that no abnormal military activities have been spotted in China.

Taiwan is using all monitoring and investigation methods to keep abreast of the political and economic situation across the Taiwan Strait, Sun said, adding that the military is ready for any eventuality.

Exiled Chinese dissident Wang Dan （王丹）, along with several Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） lawmakers, called on China to stop arresting people protesting draconian lockdowns.

With countries around the world voicing their support for the protesters, it is important that Taiwan’s voice be heard, especially as Taiwan underwent a successful democratic transition from its authoritarian past, Wang told a news conference at the legislature in Taipei.

By aligning itself with democracies around the world, Taiwan can take a clear stand on resisting China and protecting Taiwan, said Wang, a leader of the democracy movement in 1989, which ended in the Tiananmen Massacre.

Although the protests that have spread across China might be stamped out in a few days, they are nonetheless significant because they signal the dawn of a new era in which Chinese will no longer remain silent and will rise up against tyranny, he said.

Wang and DPP legislators Hung Sun-han （洪申翰）, Su Chiao-hui （蘇巧慧） and Lin Chu-yin （林楚茵） issued a statement expressing their condolences for the victims of the Urumqi blaze, while urging Beijing to launch a comprehensive review of its “zero COVID” policy.

Hung described the protests across China as the boldest show of civil disobedience in the nation since the 1989 pro-democracy movement.

These protesters have seen through Chinese President Xi Jinping’s （習近平） dictatorship and are pushing back against the forcible detention of protesters, he said.

It is highly likely that Xi would order that more ruthless measures be taken against the protesters, which is why people need to voice their support, Hung said.

Su said they support not only people affected by China’s “zero COVID” policy, but any one who wants freedom, be they in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet or Xinjiang.

“If we remain silent, we could be next,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） called on Beijing to listen to the public’s opinions and needs to avoid an escalation.

The KMT sides with freedom and human rights, it said, adding that China should relax its disease prevention measures and strike a balance between disease prevention and daily life.

The current situation “is the last thing anyone wants,” KMT Chairman Eric Chu （朱立倫） said, adding that he hoped tragedy would not repeat itself.

Additional reporting by Lin Hsiao-yun, Aaron Tu and Lin Liang-sheng

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES