Jailings Show 'two Systems' Is A Failure: Taiwan

Taiwan said on Wednesday that the sentencing of eight Occupy protest leaders in Hong Kong was proof that "one country, two systems" fails to respect people's political rights.

In January, Beijing said the model would be the best approach for when Taiwan is reunited with the mainland – an idea that was quickly shot down by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taipei expressed regret over the jailing of four of the Occupy figures for up to 16 months, with the island's Mainland Affairs Council calling on Beijing and the SAR authorities to adhere to their commitments under the Basic Law, including the promise that Hong Kong would have a high degree of autonomy.

"That is the only way to observe the rule of law and maintain Hong Kong's prosperous development", the Central News Agency quoted the council as saying.

The agency also reported that representatives from more than 20 Taiwanese NGOs had gathered outside the island's representative office in Hong Kong earlier in the day to express their support for Occupy activists.

Some of the demonstrators claimed that the District Court had succumbed to pressure from the mainland authorities.