Forfivemonthsnow, peopleinHongKonghavebeenprotestingfordemocracyandagainstwhattheyperceiveas a growinginfluencebythemainlandgovernmentfromChina.
AsanofficialfromTaiwan -- anislandwhichBeijingconsiders a "breakawayterritory"
-- howdoyouviewtheseprotests?
ThebreakawaywasattheNeolithicAge, I believe.
I thinkinTaiwan, whenwe'relookingatHongKong, we'reseeingthebeginningof a newwayofdemonstrationforliberaldemocraciesthatarewhattheycall "bewater" or "leaderless" movement.
InourownSunflowermovementwhich I haveparticipated, whereweoccupytheparliamentfor 21 daysbackin 2014, westartedthiswayofcoordinating a leaderlessmovement.
I don't thinkthatwillhappenon a internationalwatch, whenallaroundtheworld, liberaldemocraciesarelookingatitassomethingthatmustnothappen.
Forourpart, theTaiwanuniversitieshavebeenoffering a lotofexchangeprogramstogivethestudentsthere a safespacetohave a conversationwithinternationalmedia, preciselyforthis.
Nowyou'vestartedwritingcomputercodewhenyouwere a kid; you'vebeenactiveas a hacker, as a computerhacker; nowyou'retheDigitalMinisterofTaiwan, andyou'recallingforthereinventionofdemocracy.
Becauseofuniversalbroadbandas a humanright, we’realsoopeninguptheentireparticipatorybudget; participatoryregulation; everythingison a singleparticipationplatformcalled "join.gov.tw" thathasmorethan 10 millionactiveusers, outof 23 millionactiveresidentsinTaiwan.
Bigtechcompanieshaveplayed a questionablerolesometimeswhenitcomestodemocracy, being a platformwherefakenewscanbespread, orwherevoterscouldbeinfluenced.
Firstofall, justlikeintheadditionalcounter-spamissue 20 yearsago, weneedtoestablish a normwherepeoplecanveryeasilyvoluntarilyparticipateinthefact-checkingcommunity, andthisiswhatthelargeplatformhasdone.
Butmoreimportantly, ineachofourministriesthere's a teamofatleastfivepeoplethatcanrolloutfunnymemetic-engineeredjokesasclarifications, onehouraftereachdisinformationgetsspread, sothatwhenpeoplelookatthisclarification, thisisjustthey'd thinkassomethingthat's funny.
Insteadofturningangerintooutrage, itwillbecomesomethingthatpeoplecanmoreactin a pro-socialmanner, andthisiswaythatwedon't takedownanythingbythejournalists
-- ourminister's wordsarenothigherthan a journalist's words -- butwecontributeintofact-checkingandjournalismbyprovidingreal-timeclarificationsveryquicklyandalsoin a veryfunnyway.
Taiwanisalsoaimingtotransformitseconomyfrom a manufacturinghubtowards a moredigitalizedeconomy, it's beendifficulttodothat.