Elon Musk Offers Proposal To Resolve China-Taiwan Tensions

• Image Credit: Google

• Oct 8, 2022 | Dhupali Das

China had previously proposed a form of autonomy for Taiwan that was comparable to Hong Kong's...

Digital Desk: Days after proposing a peace deal for war-hit Ukraine, Elon Musk has now come forth with a proposal to end tensions between Taiwan and China. The US billionaire proposed giving Beijing some authority over the self-governing region, maybe under terms "more liberal than Hong Kong." Many online users found the comments offensive, and they attacked the founder of Tesla and SpaceX.

"My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy. And it's possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong," Musk reportedly told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday.

He also believed that the Taiwan confrontation was unavoidable and warned of the potential consequences for not only Tesla but also iPhone producer Apple Inc and the wider economy.

Beijing considers democratically administered Taiwan to be one of its provinces and has long promised to bring Taipei under Chinese control, even if it means using force. Meanwhile, Taiwan's leadership vehemently rejects China's assertions of sovereignty and maintains that only the 23 million residents of the island can determine its future.

China had previously proposed a form of autonomy for Taiwan that was comparable to Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" framework. All of the island's major political parties have, however, opposed this, and the idea is unpopular with the general public—especially after Beijing enforced a strict National Security Law in the city in 2020.

Earlier this week, the world's richest man clashed with top Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, after urging that the war-torn country permanently surrender Crimea to Russia. Additionally, he urged that neutrality be agreed upon by Ukraine and that fresh referendums be held under UN supervision to decide the future of the Russian-controlled territory.

While Zelensky responded with his own Twitter poll, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, bluntly told Musk to "get lost."

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak proposed a "better peace plan" in which Ukraine reclaimed its territories, including Crimea, Russia was demilitarised and denuclearized, and "war criminals" faced an international tribunal.