China hails Elon Musk's pro-Beijing suggestions on Taiwan issue; 'Would like to thank him'

Despite widespread condemnation from Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his pro-Russian solution to end the war, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has again floated a controversial assertion to deal with the ongoing China-Taiwan tensions. In the latest development, Musk, who operates a large factory of his most-touted electric car in Shanghai, suggested establishing a “special administrative zone” around the self-governing island of Taiwan. The critical remarks from the world's richest man came during an interview with The Financial Times, where the host asked him about the solution to the tension between China and Taiwan.

“My recommendation…would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy,” said Musk.

Musk's remarks received a mixed response

This won praise from China but faced brutal backlash from Taiwan. Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu took to social media and said “individual independent companies cannot take their ownership as a joke. "So why should they casually pass off the democratic freedoms, sovereignty and way of life of 23 million Taiwanese? It is not acceptable for Ukraine, and Taiwan certainly will not allow it," Taipei Times quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, other lawmakers also criticised Musk and emphasised his critical and pro-China statement as an "opportunity" since he operates a factory in Shanghai.

On the other hand, the Chinese ambassador to US Qin Gang expressed gratitude to Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his call for peace across the Taiwan Strait which has witnessed heightened tensions in the recent past. "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," Qin Gang tweeted.

China-Taiwan tensions

It is worth mentioning Taiwan had split from China during the civil war that brought Mao Zedong's Communist Party to power and established the People's Republic of China in 1949. While the Communist Party gained control of the Chinese mainland in 1949, the Kuomintang-ruled government of the erstwhile Republic of China set up its government in Taiwan (officially called the Republic of China). Although the regions have been governed separately for more than seven decades, the Communist Party continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. Beijing has, on several occasions, stepped up military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its own territory under the One China policy. In recent times, China repeatedly warned the island nation to use force if it disobeys Bejing's command and relies on the West for its security.

Image: AP