Taiwan

jan23

Taiwan proves to be unwelcoming for many Hong Kong activists

• The island shows true face with proposed “nine don’ts” list, released in error by immigration agency prohibiting campaigning, employment and media interviews for people from Hong Kong and Macau

Last week, the agency mistakenly posted online a proposed “nine don’ts”, a list of activities that people staying on the island from Macau and Hong Kong would be prohibited from doing. It was taken down in less than 24 hours.

The proposed prohibited activities include: political campaigning and social activism; employment, including short-term contracts such as modelling; media interviews, including phone-in programmes; prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking; and entering or photographing government facilities and research laboratories.

https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/3206026/taiwan-proves-be-unwelcoming-many-hong-kong-activists

nov21

Why wiping out Hong Kong's opposition may have cost China a whole generation in Taiwan.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/26/asia/taiwan-hong-kong-china-opposition-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

nov21

A secessionist group on the island of Taiwan reportedly plans to sell self-made calendars that are composed of distorted history and content smearing the Chinese mainland, the Communist Party of China, Hong Kong and Macao. Local legal experts have warned that selling these calendars in Hong Kong will violate the law.  

 A local organization from the island called TLF-Youth is behind these calendars. But these calendars are mired in falsifications including whitewashing the rioting activities that occurred at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during the social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019. The sellers of the calendars are also planning to ship them to buyers in Hong Kong and Macao, Hong Kong media outlet Sing Tao Daily reported on Monday. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1238424.shtml

fev21

Quase 11 mil cidadãos de Hong Kong se mudaram para Taiwan em 2020, um número recorde, anunciaram as autoridades taiwanesas, num contexto de aumento do controle de Pequim sobre a ex-colônia britânica. O recorde anterior – 7.506 – foi estabelecido em 2014, quando a ex-colônia britânica foi abalada pelo movimento Guarda-chuva, uma mobilização pró-democracia para desafiar o domínio chinês. https://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/quase-11-000-cidadaos-de-hk-foram-viver-em-taiwan-em-2020/

set20

China’s recent takeover of Hong Kong is raising fears Taiwan is the next target in Beijing’s aggressive push for regional control, said White House National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien. China’s buildup of military forces for over a decade, notably with missiles and other forces dubbed anti-access, area denial systems, has been a longstanding threat, he said. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/27/national-security-adviser-robert-obrien-after-hong/

set20

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is just paying lip service to Hong Kong’s protesters, and it needs to enact legislation to provide them with “more substantial and due protection,” the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday. “Before the [Jan. 11 presidential election], the Tsai administration told everyone that it supports Hong Kong, but so far the Tsai administration’s support for Hong Kong appears to be just talk,” KMT Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang (王育敏) told a news conference in Taipei. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/09/16/2003743515

6/7

Beijing thinks that it is about hearts and minds. China's official media attacked Hong Kong media and social media, blaming them for spreading a negative image and distrust of the Chinese government. Beijing thinks that there's an emergency situation in Hong Kong and they have to control people's thought and speech. They think without such control, they will lose Hong Kong like they lost Taiwan. This September there is a legislative council election, and Beijing fears that the same democratic landslide will happen. The Chinese official media has been saying that if the opposition gains a super majority in the legislative council, which is unlikely to happen as the electoral process is set up in a way that heavily favors the pro-establishment camp, it will amount to a revolution in Hong Kong. They fear Hong Kong will soon be like Taiwan, being broken away from China. So they feel that it is very urgent to have this law to control people's speech and opinion. 

 Ho-fung Hung, a professor in the Department of Sociology and the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University, has researched and written about political economy, protest, and nation-state formation in China and East Asia for the past 20 years https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/07/04/hong-kong-security-law/

8/7

As a draconian new national security law is imposed in Hong Kong, locals face a bleak choice: fight or flight. While plenty remain committed to defending freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, another alternative is to emigrate away from the city. Since last summer, Hong Kong protesters began to flee for safer countries out of fear of political persecution. Now that Beijing has enacted the national security law, talk of departing Hong Kong among the masses has spread. This leads to two important questions: How serious are Hong Kongers about leaving their home, and where do Hong Kongers plan to move to? Our results also speak to how Hong Kongers feel about non-East Asian locations. Canada and Australia were viewed as more suitable for immigration as a first choice compared to Hong Kong’s former colonial ruler, the United Kingdom. Only 10 percent of interested immigrants ranked the U.K. as their first choice. This is surprising given U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent pledge to create pathways to let millions of Hong Kongers into the United Kingdom. One possible reason for the U.K.’s low ranking is that Johnson’s program only allows for British National (Overseas) passport-holders, most of whom are older. Younger Hong Kongers born after the handover in 1997 may find the U.K. less appealing because they lack that passport status. Canada, meanwhile, has become a popular destination for Hong Kong’s wealthy elite, which helps explains why it is held in such high esteem. Our findings hold important implications for the future of Hong Kong and Hong Kong-Taiwan relations. Taiwan especially should begin to seriously prepare for Hong Kongers attempting to permanently relocate. Over the last year, hundreds of Hong Kong protesters have fled to Taiwan. Yet, because of Taiwan’s lack of asylum law, most have been stuck in a state of ambiguity, unable to gain residency or employment. After a year of Hong Kong protesters calling on the Taiwanese government to offer formal assistance, the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen finally established a new office aimed to help Hong Kongers seek humanitarian assistance in Taiwan last month. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/08/hong-kong-exile-taiwan-first-choice/

7/7
A decisão de Pequim em impor a Hong Kong uma lei draconiana sobre segurança faz crescer os receios de que Taiwan vai ser o próximo alvo da República Popular da China, indicam várias fontes à AFP. “Esta lei faz-me detestar ainda mais a China”, disse à France-Presse, Sylvia Chang, estudante de 18 anos da Universidade Nacional de Taiwan. https://eco.sapo.pt/2020/07/07/depois-de-hong-kong-taiwan-receia-ser-proximo-alvo-da-china/

6/7

The enactment of the new legislation has made it clear that Beijing does not care to fake it anymore. An even tougher stance against Taiwan is inevitable. Yet what could be worse? Is military conflict unthinkable or should Taiwan think about it now? Wu Chien-huei is an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2020/07/06/2003739421

22/6

As some Hong Kong media reports immediately speculate, the National Security Commission established by the central government in Hong Kong would perhaps deal with not only any “independence activities” pertinent to Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan but also cases concerning “international espionage.” Taiwan and foreign activities in the HKSAR will be increasingly sensitive and under tighter surveillance. Sonny Lo https://www.macaubusiness.com/opinion-draft-national-security-law-for-hong-kong-some-observations/

21/6
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday (June 19) urged Beijing to respect Hong Kong's special status in international law, in a speech aired live in Denmark.
"By allowing anti-democratic forces and autocrats to advance abroad, we are neglecting our own democratic values," she said via video to the annual Copenhagen Democracy Summit.
"Taiwan has joined the international community in urging the Beijing authorities to honour their obligation to respect Hong Kong's fundamental freedoms" she added. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-urges-beijing-to-honour-hong-kongs-special-status

19/6
The government’s Hong Kong Humanitarian Aid project is to be implemented through a Taiwan-Hong Kong Interaction Office, which is to begin operations on July 1, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday. The aid plan has been anticipated since China’s National People’s Congress last month endorsed national security legislation for Hong Kong, despite Beijing’s past promise that the territory would remain autonomous until 2047. The new office is a special agency to assist Hong Kongers with study, investment and entrepreneurial interests, seeking employment or emigrating to Taiwan, Chen told a news briefing in Taipei as he unveiled the government’s plan for helping Hong Kongers. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/06/19/2003738477

15/6

Taiwan's separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority has delayed announcing its plan to receive and resettle Hong Kong separatists and illegal activists who plan to escape to Taiwan due to new national security legislation for Hong Kong. Experts from the Chinese mainland noted that the DPP authority won't sincerely help these lawbreakers as they can only be useful if they stay in Hong Kong and interrupt the "one country, two systems" principle. If they tried to escape, they would be useless and an encumbrance to Taiwan. Most of them have neither money nor talent, so most of them will surely be abandoned.  On May 28, the regional leader of the island, Tsai Ing-wen, vowed to "proactively rescue" those who could be punished by the new national security law due their illegal activates in Hong Kong. The plan was handed to the executive branch of the authority, and the mainland affairs council of Taiwan said that the plan would be announced within a week. So far, however, nothing has been announced. According to the Taiwan-based chinatimes.com, Chiu Chui-cheng, a deputy head of the mainland affairs council of Taiwan, told the media that due to "the fast-changing situation in Hong Kong," and "legislative progress of the national security law for Hong Kong," as well as international reactions, the plan needed to be precisely adjusted. The Taiwan People's Party, an extreme separatist political party of the island, has criticized and questioned the DPP authority for the delay, accusing it of "talking too much and doing nothing" as these extremists want to use this "rescue plan" as a chance to show the West that the island is making efforts to shelter its allies who also support separatism in Hong Kong. https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191572.shtml

9/6
American and Taiwanese interference have fanned the flames of the 
Hong Kong protests and played a role in the evolution of the anti-government movement, according to the city’s security minister. John Lee Ka-chiu also pointed to the decline in demonstrations since the end of January and street activists’ lack of new equipment as he questioned whether the movement was losing sources of funding. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3088271/hong-kong-protests-united-states-taiwan-interference?utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_campaign=enlz-scmp_exclusive&utm_content=20200609&MCUID=3d06933c40&MCCampaignID=8228f3c09e&MCAccountID=3775521f5f542047246d9c827&tc=3

8/6
That old revolutionary custom can be seen on almost any day in the pro-Beijing media here. Prominent democracy advocates like Martin Lee, former top civil servant Anson Chan, Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai, Civic Party leaders and legislators, Joshua Wong from the younger generation – all are routinely caricatured as villains and traitors for their lobbying trips to Washington and London.Those who have taken refuge in Taiwan are portrayed as snakes and rats, slithering away to escape just punishment for their political sins. These call to mind the old “cattle ghosts and snake spirits” epithet used for labelling class and political enemies in campaigns gone by. https://hongkongfp.com/2020/06/09/hong-kong-national-security-law-whats-the-hurry-the-legislature-elections-are-coming/

7/6

Num colóquio promovido pelo Conselho Regional de Macau para a Promoção da Reunificação Pacífica da China, a subdirectora do Gabinete de Ligação apontou três tarefas para Macau assumir, nomeadamente reconhecer os prejuízos do conceito de “independência de Taiwan”, opor-se a todas as actividades do género e continuar a promover intercâmbios com Taipé https://jtm.com.mo/local/macau-como-janela-para-taiwan/

7/6

Taiwan's main opposition party has moved to distance itself from China after one of its most senior officials lost a highly charged recall election, as attitudes harden towards Beijing on the democratic island.Voters in the southern Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to remove their China-friendly mayor Han Juo-yu from office, just months after he lost his bid to unseat President Tsai Ing-wen in national elections. Mr Han lost by a wide margin in a recall vote, amid accusations from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that his Kuomintang party, or KMT, wants to sell out Taiwan to China. A recall election is held when the electorate petitions to vote on the performance of an elected representative before their term has ended when they have been seen as ineffective. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-08/anti-china-sentiment-sees-taiwan-city-boot-mayor/12331686 + Before declaring his presidential bid last year, Mayor Han visited China, where he met with the head of Beijing’s office for Taiwan policy, among other officials. In Hong Kong, he met with the island’s embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, who has sought to implement Beijing’s highly unpopular policies.President Xi Jinping of China has attempted to woo Taiwan with a “one country, two systems” arrangement similar to that of Hong Kong. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/asia/taiwan-recall-mayor.html

25/5

A presidente de Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, garantiu que vai dar a “assistência necessária” a Hong Kong, face aos protestos contra as novas leis de segurança nacional que Pequim quer impor e aos crescentes pedidos de asilo que chegam a Taiwan de cidadãos de Hong Kong, segundo avança esta segunda-feira a Reuters. https://observador.pt/2020/05/25/taiwan-garante-assistencia-necessaria-ao-povo-de-hong-kong/

25/5

Alvin Chang, spokesman for Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy, says, “Actually, the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan has consistently supported Hong Kong protesters who flee to Taiwan. The council is not revealing details in public to minimise the risks of exposing these people.” He adds that NGOs and some other supporting units in Taiwan have privately contacted the council. https://hongkongfp.com/2020/05/24/todays-hong-kong-tomorrows-taiwan-protesters-find-help-and-sympathy-across-the-strait/

20/5

Jacques deLisle is a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who focuses on contemporary Chinese law and politics. He said Tsai’s speech will not challenge the status quo in the Taiwan Strait but may reference protests and unrest in Hong Kong.  “I expect her to hit pretty hard on the themes of how successful Taiwan’s democratic liberal society has been in coping with COVID,” deLisle said. “I think she has to walk a fine line in how much to reference the Hong Kong situation which obviously is key to her re-election but neuralgic [sharply painful] to Beijing.” https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/taiwans-tsai-tread-cautiously-cross-strait-relations-inauguration-experts

14/5

Tsai’s re-election prospects also were strengthened by violent protests in Hong Kong. The nightly images of protestors battling against armed police served as a backdrop to the campaign. Tsai regularly invoked Hong Kong as a cautionary tale of Beijing’s ambitions to tighten its grip on Taiwan. The slogan “Hong Kong today, Taiwan tomorrow,” regularly appeared at her campaign rallies. Tsai grabbed the political space as the defender of Taiwan’s democratic identity and never let go.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/05/13/taiwans-tsai-ing-wen-enters-second-term-with-a-strong-political-mandate-but-no-room-for-complacency/

6/6

 defende o deputado democrata macaense Ng Kuok Cheong. “O Governo central usava as duas regiões autónomas para persuadir Taiwan a aceitar o princípio ‘Um País, Dois Sistemas’ e conseguir a plena integração. Taiwan recusou e as regiões deixaram de servir o seu propósito. Já não interessa dar a impressão de que se respeita a autonomia”, defende este parlamentar, eleito por sufrágio direto.

6/6

Voters in the southern port city of Kaohsiung voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to remove their China-friendly mayor from office, just months after he lost his bid to unseat President Tsai Ing-wen in national elections. The vote caps a roller-coaster two years for the mayor, Han Kuo-yu, who emerged from political obscurity to win the 2018 race in Kaohsiung, a traditional stronghold of Ms. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party. That victory served as a launching pad for Mr. Han’s presidential bid. Saturday’s vote, known as a recall, appeared to reflect Taiwan’s hardening attitude toward China, which has been intensifying efforts to bring the island democracy under its control. The vote is the first time that Taiwanese voters have removed a mayor, whose status is similar to a governor in the United States. A new election will choose his successor. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/asia/taiwan-recall-mayor.html

Hong Kong dissidents a further test for Taiwan-China ties. Taiwan has quietly welcomed Hong Kong dissidents, but does not offer political asylum or formal assistance. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/hong-kong-dissidents-test-taiwan-china-ties-200427034547596.html