TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Shih Ming-teh (施明德), wrote in an article published Wednesday (Jan. 1) that Taiwan will not become the next Hong Kong.

In a 10,000-word piece published by Mirror Media titled "Regarding Taiwan's Sovereignty and War" (論台灣主權與戰爭), Shih expressed his disapproval of Taiwanese politicians using China as a campaigning tool. He said that voters in Taiwan should not constrain themselves to the "Pan-Blue vs. Pan-Green" mentality in the upcoming presidential election.

The Taiwanese democratic pioneer said that the country is being torn apart by the constant debate between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the DPP over cross-strait issues. He stressed that Beijing will not use its military to invade Taiwan and that the U.S. would protect Taiwan even if it happened, reported UDN.

Shih said that Taiwanese should be concerned about Hong Kong's protests because the freedoms of the protestors are being violated, not because China could impose such control upon Taiwan. He added that the Chinese government has been threatening to unify Taiwan for 70 years, but unless it changes its tactics, he said Taiwanese would neither be terrorized by the "slogan" nor accept China's offer.

Regarding Taiwan's relationship with the U.S., Shih claimed that the stability of the cross-strait situation is largely due to the U.S. government. He stressed that small countries such as Taiwan have to employ strategies that favor the U.S. out of survival and that the next Taiwan's president has the task of uniting all citizens of the country.