Elon Musk says China should be granted ‘arrangement’ to control Taiwan

Elon Musk this week suggested that the perennial conflict between China and Taiwan should be resolved in favor of China gaining control over the island nation, a proposal he suggested could be "reasonable" even as it would leave many people unhappy.

Musk made the contentious geopolitical claim during an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday. "My recommendation . . . would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won't make everyone happy," he said during the interview. 

"And it's possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that's more lenient than Hong Kong," he argued. 

The status of Taiwan relative to China has been a source of global debate and controversy for decades. The country has long claimed a distinct political identity from mainland China, while some Taiwanese officials as well as leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have sought unification of the two polities. 

Hong Kong, meanwhile, is officially a part of the People’s Republic of China but for years has enjoyed its own special administrative status that has allowed local leaders considerable leeway in how the region is run.