Taiwan should step up its international campaign to support Hong Kong in light of Beijing’s heightened suppression of pro-democracy activists there, a Taiwanese activist said on Friday.

Activist Lin Fei-fan called on Taiwanese officials and community groups to voice their support for Hong Kong’s democratic movement whenever possible, including at international venues. Lin was a student leader in the 2014 Sunflower movement to oppose a cross-strait trade deal between Taiwan and mainland China.

Such expressions of support would bolster international campaigns led by Hongkongers themselves, and would also consolidate Taiwan’s position by joining forces with pro-Hong Kong allies around the world, said Lin. He is the deputy secretary-general of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

“Over the past few months, I have come across friends from overseas including diplomats and foreign reporters... They wish to work with Taiwan to assist our friends in Hong Kong,” he said.

Lin noted that Taiwan has recently given sanctuary to several exiled Hongkongers. To ensure that it can continually support them, Lin said, it is crucial for Taiwan to protect its democratic system and sovereignty.

In Hong Kong this week, three Hong Kong activists – Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam – were sentenced to jail terms of between seven and 13.5 months for unauthorized assembly, related to a large-scale protest outside the city’s police headquarters in June last year.

A court on Thursday denied bail for Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai, and ordered him to be remanded in custody on a fraud charge related to an office building lease. Lai must remain in jail until April next year, which many observers are calling political suppression.

An advisor to Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, Cheng Hung-huei, expressed concern over Hong Kong’s deteriorating situation in an article, saying the city’s freedoms are disappearing. “We can’t help asking: ‘why is a case over a business lease so serious that bail has to be denied for Jimmy Lai?” he wrote.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai expressed similar worries, saying the southern Taiwanese city would continue its support for Hong Kong. This includes helping fleeing Hongkongers find work and schooling in Kaohsiung, Chen said.

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