My Take | The Taiwan option is impossible for Hong Kong

The campaign team of Taiwanese independent Dr Ko Wen-je has thanked Occupy Central for contributing to his landside victory in the Taipei mayoral election.

Many pundits believe the disastrous results for the ruling Kuomintang in local elections across the island are a repudiation of creeping mainland influence and the pro-business Taiwan lobby. That may be true for now. But, as always, the pendulum swings back and forth in Taiwan.

"We feel there were mutual influences between Taipei and Hong Kong students," said Wu Yen-hong, Ko's election campaign director.

Very well, that is what democracy is all about and the Taiwanese people may well reject rapprochement with the mainland as pursued by the Kuomintang under beleaguered President Ma Ying-jeou.

There are indeed many parallels to be drawn between Hong Kong and Taiwan. Be that as it may, it would be fatal for us to think that following Taiwan is even an option for us. Yes, our business community by and large aligns itself with the Hong Kong and central governments, which are expected to pursue business-friendly policies. This is often seen as detrimental to the interests of the grassroots and the middle class. Just as Taiwan has turned against Ma's policy of tilting towards the mainland, so some Hong Kong people, especially younger ones, are resisting what they call mainlandisation.

But what those who support the Occupy protest movement don't realise is that realities in politics and geography allow Taiwanese people to act on those parallels. This is not the case for Hong Kong. It is indeed a real option for Taiwan to stay friendly or keep a distance from the mainland. The geography of the Taiwan Strait allows that, backed by the island's formidable military. Alas, the PLA army lives and operates within our city. Our borders are purely an artificial construct, maintained by authorities on both sides. They are designed to keep out ordinary mainlanders, but not mainland power and influence.