Taiwan Election 2020: Hong Kong tourist cites 'We want this' during election rally

At a raucouselectionrally for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen,HongKonger Karen Leung surveyed the huge crowd of excited flag-waving voters as a rap song blasted over the loudspeakers and sighed: "Wewantto haveelectionslike this."

Leung is one of the scores ofHongKongelectiontouristswho have travelled toTaiwanthis week to witness something denied to them universal suffrage.

Tsai, who is seeking a second term, has repeatedly invoked the seven months of pro-democracy protests engulfing the financial hub as a warning call for what might happen should Beijing succeed in its wish to one day take control ofTaiwan.

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Her opponent Han Kuo-yu of the Kuomintang party favours warmer ties with China but has also promised to defend the island's freedoms.

[ Han Kuo-Yu, presidential candidate for Taiwan, casts his ballot as he votes at Linyuan District in Kaohsiung(Courtesy: AFP)]

In the days running up to Saturday's presidential and parliamentaryelections,HongKongers have become an increasingly common sight at Tsai'srallies.

"I feel like there is hope here (inTaiwan)," Leung, a 26-year-old accountant, told reportersafter getting a tote bag stamped withHongKong's pro-democracy protests slogans at a booth on the sidelines of Tsai's final rally on Friday night.

"Taiwanhas its freedom and they are standing up to China," she added.

HongKong's democracy activists have long maintained close ties with Taipei, an island that transitioned from decades of dictatorship into one of Asia's most liberal democracies.

But months of violent pro-democracy protests in the city has intensified Taiwanese interestas debate rages about how close to tack to its giant authoritarian neighbour.

The phrase "TodayHongKong, tomorrowTaiwan" has become a popular slogan among supporters of Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Kyle, a 26-year-oldHongKonger at Tsai's Friday night rally, said he took inspiration from howTaiwanshook off its own dictatorship under Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek and also have resisted pressure from Beijing's communist leadership.

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"The people ofTaiwanbled and even sacrificed their lives until they had democracy," he said.

"InHongKong, we only have struggled for several years in fighting for democracy, so there is no reason for us to give up so quickly."

The island does not recognise the concept of asylum. But under Tsai's administration, officials have turned a blind eye to dozens ofHongKongers who have fled there and Taiwanese supporters have also sent gas masks and helmets to protesters.

"The movement in the past year has broughtHongKongandTaiwancloser," Ivy, a 36-year-old social worker who travelled from the city, told reporters.

"Taiwanhas helpedHongKong. They didn't drive away from theHongKongyoungsters who fled our city," she said at the Tsai rally.

A smattering of the financial hub's flag and pro-demonstration slogans have now become commonplace at Tsai'srallies.

[ Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wavesafter voting at a polling station in Chunghe district (Courtesy: AFP) ]

When Tsai appeared at a Thursday night rally, the crowd shouted the popular protest chant: "FreeHongKong, the revolution of our times."

Some Taiwanese have even dressed up as protesters from the restive city.

A 19-year-old, who gave his surname Lu, was greeting participants draped in a pro-democracyHongKongflag and wearing a yellow construction helmet, a symbol of the city's protests, and holding a placard urging young people tovote.

"I'm showing my support for theHongKongfrontline protesters who are fighting the police," he said. "I am worried that what's happening inHongKongcould happen inTaiwan."