Hongkongers should take an active role in elections and cultivate new politicians if they are to resist Beijing’s repression, a Taiwanese researcher has said.

Having a new local culture that supported democracy would also be key to sustaining Hong Kong’s democratic movement, said Wu Rwei-ren, an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Wu saw similarities in the experiences of Taiwan and Hong Kong, where 47 pro-democracy figures had been arrested and were facing trial for “conspiring to subvert state power” over their involvement in an unofficial primary last year for a legislative election.

The authorities’ crackdown was a suppression comparable to the Formosa Incident in Taiwan 41 years ago, he said.

At that time, the political party Kuomintang, which was then in power, arrested dozens of opposition activists who organized rallies to call for democracy and an end to martial law in Taiwan. The incident had since resulted in democratic reforms, the establishment of the then opposition Democratic Progressive Party in 1986 and the eventual end of martial law the following year.

While the Formosa Incident was a prelude to the final days of Taiwan’s autocratic regime, Beijing’s repression of Hong Kong had only just begun and was expected to continue for some time, Wu said.

In the chilly winter of Hong Kong’s politics, fair elections would become a thing of the past, he said. Nevertheless, Hongkongers still must take part in elections actively as a way of nurturing their own political leaders and making their voices heard, the researcher said. Politicians must have strong convictions and be prepared to face tough times, he added.

Wu encouraged the development of new popular cultures and the “yellow” economic circle consisting of pro-democracy companies, service providers and consumers, which he said would be another key to sustaining Hong Kong’s democratic voices and vitality across different communities.

Compared with Taiwan four decades ago, Wu said Hongkongers had a number of advantages, such as their sophisticated society, high levels of education and awareness of democracy and freedom, and strong connections with Western countries, Japan and Taiwan. These characteristics would help Hong Kong resist repressive regimes, he said.

The city’s ability to mobilize two million people in its democratic movement in 2019 was rarely seen in the world, and that successfully forced China’s Communist Party, which had made decisions for Hong Kong behind the scenes, into showing its hand, Wu said.

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