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Meanwhile Chiu Chui-Cheng, another senior Government official, said help would be offered where it was deemed appropriate. Wu said he had no wish to intervene in Hong Kong’s internal affairs - but said police had desponded with “disproportionate force” to the democracy demonstrations.

He warned any intervention by mainland Chinese forces would amount to a “new level of violence” which would force Taiwan to adjust its stance. He explained: “When that happens, Taiwan is going to work with the international community to provide necessary assistance to those who are displaced by the Chinese paramilitary forces have deployed to the Chinese city of Shenzhen, just outside Hong Kong, since the protests began in June. “Neither they nor the thousands of Chinese military troops garrisoned in Hong Kong itself have been deployed to confront the protesters so far.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu

Police personnel fire tear-gas shells to disperse Pro-Democracy protestors

“The people here understand that how the Chinese government treats Hong Kong is going to be the future way of them treating Taiwan. “And what turned out in Hong Kong is not very appealing to the Taiwanese people.” In accordance with the longstanding “One China” policy, Beijing continues to insist Taiwan, despite the fact that it has its own constitution, independently elected president and armed forces, is part of China and must be reunited with it, even if that means taking it by force. JUST IN: South China Sea tensions rise as Beijing refuses to back down on it

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen

Taiwan was founded in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists, who once ruled on the mainland, retreated to the island iafter the Communists, led by Mao Zhedong, took power in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing wants Taiwan could be reunited under similar “one country, two systems” model to those which applied to Hong Kong after it was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The agreement permits Hong Kong to keep its civil liberties, independent courts and capitalist system, although many accuse China’s President Xi Jinping of violating the agreement. DON'T MISS

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Protesters at a pro-democracry rally in Hong Kong

A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen claims the “one country, two systems” model has failed in Hong Kong, bringing the city to “the brink of disorder”, while surveys indicate 80 percent of Taiwanese citizens oppose reunification. China severed links with Taiwan’s government after Tsai’s election because she refused to accept Beijing’s claims on the island, with a consequent increase in diplomatic, economic and military pressure , including includes sending aircraft carriers through the Taiwan Strait. Wu added: ‘If President Tsai is reelected, we’ll continue to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

A map of China and surrounding countries

“We’ll continue to send out goodwill gestures to China. “We want to make sure that the Chinese have no excuse in launching a war against Taiwan.” Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said he had met on Thursday a Hong Kong student delegation, and explained to them Taiwan’s policies.

Protesters have clashed with police frequently

He told reporters: “We know that these students are anxious about many people who may be staying in Taiwan and looking for help and hope that they can get proper or positive assistance. “We can understand this, and will have necessary communication with them.” Taiwan will in accordance with existing laws and on humanitarian principles provide “necessary help for individual cases”, Chiu said, without specifying which students he had met.