It also threatens a violent conquest of the island’s democratic republic

Tohti recently received the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Council of Europe.

The EU Parliament wants to position itself on Thursday in a resolution on the situation of the Uyghurs in China. The intellectual Tohti, sentenced to life imprisonment five years ago for „separatism“, is one of the best-known representatives of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China. The professor at the Minority University (Minzu Daxue) in Beijing is actually considered to be a moderate voice. He co-founded a website about Uyghurs aimed at dialogue with Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in the country.

Tohti is paying a high price for his fight, said EU Parliament President David Sassoli. He again urged China to immediately release the 50-year-old from custody. The European Parliament must be a mouthpiece for freedom of thought and expression. Tohti’s struggle highlighted dialogue, moderation and cultural diversity in China.

The fact that the award goes to Tohti is the right signal at the right time, said the foreign policy spokesman for the EPP group, Michael Gahler (CDU). „I expect the EU Commission and the member states to find clear words about the Chinese leadership,“ said SPD EU MP Evelyne Gebhardt.

The unusually harsh verdict against the Beijing economics professor in September 2014 appears today as a forerunner of the intensified persecution of the Turkic people in the northwest region of Xinjiang. It is estimated that around a million Uyghurs were put in re-education camps, which sparked outrage around the world.

Investigative journalists had shed light on the situation of the Uyghurs in western China at the end of November. The Investigative Journalists‘ Consortium (ICIJ) exposed secret documents from the Chinese Communist Party showing that the camps designated as continuing education facilities in Beijing are closely guarded re-education facilities.

They also refute statements made by the Chinese government that staying there is voluntary. The documents also show how Uighurs are specifically monitored and a large database collects all possible information in order to identify suspects.

The latest revelations show that the Chinese propaganda continually denies the reality, „said Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens), who chairs the EU Parliament’s China delegation. It is unacceptable that China’s leadership is trying to prevent critical statements abroad so that his censorship exports.

Taipei (AP) – With a clear victory for China-critical President Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese have rejected the communist leadership in Beijing. The 63-year-old was re-elected for a second four-year term on Saturday with 57 percent of the vote.

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With the vote, the Taiwanese again spoke out against closer rapprochement with China, for which their challenger Han Kuo-yu had advocated. According to the election commission, he only got 38 percent.

„I hope the results of the election clearly send the right signal to Beijing,“ President Tsai Ing-wen told supporters. Democratic Taiwan will „not give in to threats and intimidation“. China is trying to impose „completely unacceptable“ conditions on the island by proposing a union based on the Hong Kong autonomy model of „one country, two systems“. The voters clearly rejected the idea.

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The leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic, although it has never been part of it. It also threatens a violent conquest of the island’s democratic republic. The plan announced a year ago by China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping to join Taiwan to the People’s Republic on the same model as in the former British crown colony has once again mobilized the resistance of the 23 million Taiwanese.

Beijing’s tough course against the six-month demonstrations for more democracy in what is now the Chinese special administrative region only strengthened the Taiwanese’s resistance. Many consider President Tsai Ing-wen to be the guarantor of democracy and freedom in Taiwan. Any further rapprochement with China, as advocated by the opposition party of the Kuomintang and its candidate Han Kuo-yu, is distrusted.

The defeat of the 62-year-old challenger, who was considered the favorite candidate of the Chinese leadership, was received with disappointment in Beijing. State media quoted experts who now predicted „more obstacles in relationships“. Because of this, some called for „unwavering preparations for reunification,“ as the „Global Times“ put it, which is published by the party organ „People’s Daily“.

However, Taiwan’s President urged Beijing to hold talks on the basis of „peace, equality, democracy and dialogue“. China must „give up the threat of violence“ and recognize the existence of Taiwan as a state. Democracy means that only the 23 million Taiwanese can decide their future. „I hope Beijing will show goodwill too.“

The tensions would not decrease, said the researcher Wu Jieh-min from the Academia Sinica in Taipei. „After her election, Tsai will continue to reduce Taiwan’s economic dependence on China.“ The withdrawal is also being driven by global supply chains, said Wu Jieh-min, referring to the US trade war with China. Taiwanese technology companies also relocated their production to other locations in the wake of the conflict.

In the parliamentary election taking place at the same time, the Progress Party (DPP) defended the president with around 60 seats, including her majority in the 113-member parliament. As the third presidential candidate, 77-year-old James Soong from the small, conservative People First party came in his fourth attempt in an election to only four percent of the vote.

The dispute over the status of Taiwan goes back to the civil war in China. After their defeat by the communists, the troops of the national Chinese Kuomintang fled to Taiwan, which was under Japanese rule until the end of World War II.

Despite the establishment of the Communist People’s Republic in 1949, the „Republic of China“ in Taiwan held China’s permanent seat on the World Security Council for more than two decades. Taipei had to hand it over to Beijing in 1971 and also lost its membership in the United Nations. The government in Taipei has since abandoned its claim to represent all of China.

But Beijing persistently pursues a strict „one-China policy“. All states that want to maintain relations with the People’s Republic are not allowed to recognize Taiwan as an independent country. For example, Germany is only represented by one German institute in Taipei. Despite the diplomatic isolation, the international community recognizes Taiwan’s passport as a valid travel document.

Reconciliation between Taiwan and China was ensured in the 1990s by a vague consensus that both belong to „one China“, even if they accepted different interpretations of what that meant. Much to Beijing’s annoyance, however, President Tsai Ing-wen rejects the „1992 consensus“.

Politically, it has always been a matter of dispute what the „one China“ should look like – dictatorial like the People’s Republic or democratic like Taiwan? The majority of Taiwanese do not identify with China anyway and want to preserve their freedom and self-determination.

The US government congratulated President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Taiwan was also congratulated for having once again demonstrated the strength of a robust democratic system. The US hoped that under Tsai’s leadership, Taiwan would continue to serve as „a shining example“ for countries striving for democracy and prosperity.

Taipei / Beijing (dpa) – With the re-election of the China-critical President Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese have again spoken out against rapprochement with China.

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The clear victory of the 63-year-olds is a rebuff for the communist leadership in Beijing, which had increased the pressure on the free and democratic island republic. „I hope the results of the election clearly send the right signal to Beijing,“ said Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday in front of cheering supporters in Taipei. Democratic Taiwan will „not give in to threats and intimidation“.

The message did not reach Beijing, however. The day after the election, the Chinese leadership only reaffirmed their claim to power on the island. Whatever happens there, nothing can change the fact that Taiwan is part of China, said Foreign Office spokesman Geng Shuang on Sunday. „The Taiwan issue is an internal matter for China.“

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The fact that the Taiwanese have now voted Beijing’s adversary for the second time in a row was ignored. Even so, the state agency Xinhua said, „This temporary countercurrent is just a bubble in the tide of history.“ Beijing has a „full political toolbox“ and could also accelerate the „reunification process“, it was said otherwise, which could point to a further heightening of tensions.

The dispute over the status of Taiwan goes back decades and dates back to the civil war in China. After their defeat by the communists, the troops of the national Chinese Kuomintang fled to Taiwan in 1949, which had been under Japanese rule until the end of the Second World War. Taiwan has been practically independent since the establishment of the Communist People’s Republic, but is isolated from Beijing internationally. Because of the pressure from Beijing, only 15 mostly smaller states have diplomatic relations with Taiwan today, although his passport is recognized everywhere.

The vote for the president, who distances himself from Beijing without provoking, was surprisingly clear. The 63-year-old lawyer was re-elected for a second term with 57 percent and a record number of more than eight million votes. Beijing’s preferred candidate, Han Kuo-yu from the opposition Kuomintang, who advocated closer rapprochement with China, was only 38 percent behind. The third candidate, James Soong of the People First Party, got just four percent.

In parliament, the President’s Progress Party (DPP) was able to defend its majority with 61 members, but lost seven seats. The Kuomintang won three seats and had 38 MPs. The rest of the 113-seat legislative council is divided among smaller parties. The high voter turnout of 74 percent (2016: 66 percent) indicates that the 19 million eligible voters were particularly mobilized and wanted to set an example in this election.

The vote was seen in Taiwan as a vote against intimidation and threats from Beijing, which had frozen relations since Tsai Ing-wen took office four years ago. When they were re-elected, the majority of Taiwanese also rejected the proposal, renewed a year ago by China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping, to join the People’s Republic based on the Hong Kong model of „one country, two systems“.

Beijing’s tough course against the six-month demonstrations for more democracy in what is now the Chinese special administrative region only strengthened the Taiwanese’s resistance. „Hong Kong today, Taiwan tomorrow,“ warned. In this climate, President Tsai Ing-wen is seen by many Taiwanese as the guarantor of democracy and freedom in the face of an increasingly offensive dictatorial system in China.

The election results also show that the conservative forces in Taiwan, which still see themselves as part of „one China“, are getting smaller and smaller. According to new polls, 73 percent of Taiwanese do not want to join China „even if it has reached the same level of economic and political development as Taiwan,“ as researcher Wu Jieh-min from Academica Sinica in Taipei reported. Among the 20 to 34 year olds, the number even rose to 93 percent.

„With every presidential election, Taiwan shows the world how much we appreciate our free and democratic lifestyle,“ said Tsai Ing-wen in her victory speech. In an appeal to the international community, the president called for more recognition for the island republic that China has marginalized. „All countries should see Taiwan as a partner, not a problem.“

As the most important security partner, the USA was among the first to congratulate. Under US President Donald Trump, who shows little consideration for China and does not shy away from direct contact with Tsai Ing-wen, the relationship is better than it has been for a long time. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote to her that the US hoped that under her leadership Taiwan would continue to serve as „a shining example“ for countries striving for democracy and prosperity.

London (AP) – A few days before the new parliamentary elections in Great Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his conservatives are still clearly ahead in polls. Nevertheless, the head of government cannot yet be confident of victory.

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He was nervous and fighting „for every vote,“ said Johnson the news channel Sky News.