Hong Kong activist Nathan Law calls Taiwan's democratization 'inspiring'

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) Hong Kong pro-democracy activist-in-exile Nathan Law (羅冠聰) said Taiwan's democratization has been "inspiring" for his advocacy efforts and that Hong Kongers should take note of how the country spent decades fighting for freedom, during the launch of his book in Taipei on Sunday.

Law's new book "When the Wind Blows - The Struggles for Freedom of Hong Kong" recounts his growing up and experiences in exile. He said he chose to promote his new book in Taiwan because it is no longer possible to release it in Hong Kong.

"This also reflects the deterioration of the political situation in Hong Kong, where we have already lost our freedom of the press and freedom of speech," the former Hong Kong legislator said at the event.

Born in China and raised in Hong Kong, Law was a student leader in the city's 2014 Umbrella Movement and a prominent figure in the 2019 Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement (Anti-ELAB Movement), which was the largest series of demonstrations in Hong Kong's history, opposing Beijing's growing control over the former British colony.

After going into exile before the enactment of the National Security Law in the Chinese city on June 30, 2020, Law, currently based in London, continues to advocate globally for Hong Kong's freedom and democracy. He has continued to engage with international leaders, despite being wanted by the city's police.

During the event's discussion session, Law mentioned that his father left for Hong Kong from southern China in the 1970s, as the city was then seen as a place of hope for Chinese refugees.

"But in our generation, 40 years later, Hong Kong has already become a place that exports refugees," said Law, who was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom in 2021.

Robert Tsao (曹興誠), one of the panelists and the founder of contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp., said the new book reminded him of the impact and awakening he experienced in Hong Kong when he joined the street protests during the Anti-ELAB Movement.

Tsao said that Hong Kongers' resistance to Beijing's crackdown has awakened Taiwanese people to the threat posed by the Chinese authorities and stressed that Taiwan, as the last bastion of freedom in the Chinese-speaking world, must not fall.

In a post-event interview with CNA, Law said that Taiwan's democratization process is "really inspiring" for his advocacy efforts as it has shown that it can take decades for a democratic movement to achieve its goals and provides an example of courage and dedication from which Hong Kongers can draw inspiration.

He, however, noted that the fight for freedom comes with many sacrifices and a lot of suffering, citing examples from Taiwan's martial law period, when many advocates faced lifelong sentences, terrible persecution or were murdered, but there was still an effort to "break through all these restrictions and draconian laws."

That is exactly the situation in Hong Kong now, where more and more people speak their minds and get arrested for it, he continued.

With scheduled talks in Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung over the next three weeks, Law said his book being published in Taiwan is also an important way to share the latest developments in Hong Kong and the experience of exiled activists with people in the country.

"It's really important to have those stories to remind everyone (in Taiwan) -- don't take freedom for granted and please fight and safeguard your democracy," he said.