Taiwanese protest sparks pro-democracy comments from mainland Chinese netizens

Mainland netizens have reacted strongly to news of a recent Taiwanese protest over the death of a young military conscript, and many have praised democracy and asked why such protests are allowed in Taiwan but not on the mainland.

“If this sort of event occurred on the mainland, who would dare attend it? Even the petitioners themselves would get thrown into prison,” one user on Sina Weibo, China’s leading social network, wrote in response to news and photographs of the protest.

“[Taiwan and the mainland] have the same ethnic groups,” another netizen wrote in response, “but the big difference [Taiwan has] is democracy!”

“[Taiwan] is a place … where the people call the shots,” one commentator wrote. “National leaders [there] must make decisions … that reflect the values of individuals in society, rather than simply corrupting and oppressing vulnerable groups.”

Another netizen wrote that President Xi Jinping’s new slogan, the “Chinese Dream”, was not something that could be found on the mainland.