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Hong Kong protesters who escaped Taiwan have been embroiled in a network of restrictions designed to protect the democratically governed island from an increasingly vindictive China.
The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen offered refuge to a wave of Hong Kongs fleeing after Beijing moved to crush dissent in the former British colony. But many feel disappointed by the Taiwanese government as they struggle to build a new life across the strait.
“Tsai’s rhetoric towards the protesters has been very positive,” said Lev Nachman, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University researching the political protest movements in Taiwan and Hong Kong. “But there is a disconnect between his words and what the government is doing to help.”
In May 2020, Tsai declared that Taiwan would provide “the necessary assistance to the people of Hong Kong” after China imposed a harsh national security law. “The solution is not bullets,” he said, “but to really implement freedom and democracy.”
Tsai, however, has resisted calls to introduce a political asylum or refugee system that would pave the way for exiled protesters to obtain permanent residence or citizenship, fearing it could “cause problems with China,” he said. dir Nachman.
Taiwan is worried about provoking Beijing becoming an outpost for the activity of the anti-Chinese communist party just as the People’s Liberation Army intensifies military stances against the country.
Five protesters who traveled illegally to Taiwan by boat last July were quietly housed at a military base for six months before receiving entry into the United States on humanitarian grounds.
“Taiwan has helped the Hong Kongers. This is undeniable, “said Lam Wing-kee, owner of Causeway Bay Books in Taipei, who was kidnapped by mainland agents in 2015. He fled after Hong Kong proposed an extradition law to China in 2019. “The question is whether more can be done to help.”
During the first five months of 2021, Taiwan approved nearly 4,000 temporary residency applications for Hong Kongs, 44% more than the previous year.
“Wealthy Hong Kongers have easier access to Taiwan, but the most urgent group are the protesters, many of whom are young students,” Nachman said.
The absence of a formalized refugee process means that many Hong Kongers have to move from one temporary visa to another, making it difficult to find a stable job.
Jiang Min-Yan, a researcher in the Taipei-based Economic Democracy Union think tank, said that “without being able to secure permanent residence or citizenship, it is impossible for Hong Kongers to feel like they belong to Taiwan.” .
Supporters of pressure on behalf of Hong Kongers said the Taiwan visa process failed the exiles. To obtain a work visa, Hong Kong immigrants must secure a job offer with a monthly salary twice the minimum wage in Taiwan. This requirement is difficult for Hong Kong youth and workers who make up the bulk of the pro-democracy movement to meet.
Chiu Chui-Cheng, deputy minister of the Continental Affairs Council, told the Financial Times that he handled each residence permit application individually and provided additional support in mitigating circumstances.
Taiwan opened a special office in July 2020 to coordinate humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers in response to the imposition of the security law a month earlier. The office provides financial, physical and mental support for exiled activists.
The Chinese government’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticized Tsai’s support for the protests as part of a “separatist plot” to promote independence movements in Taiwan and Hong Kong. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has done so threatened with attack if Taipei seeks formal independence.
The influx of Hong Kong has also raised fears in Taiwan Chinese agents who infiltrated the pro-democracy movement may also have reached the island.
“Taiwan is very sensitive to anything related to China,” said Simon, a Hong Kong man who came to Taipei after the passage of the national security law and requested the use of a pseudonym.
Simon has been waiting a year to see if his retired mother could join him. His application came to a standstill when authorities learned he was working for a Hong Kong technology company that had been acquired by a mainland Chinese competitor.
Sang Pu, a lawyer who runs an organization that helps Hong Kongers apply for residency in Taiwan, said authorities reject applicants who have worked in mainland Chinese-owned companies.
Chiu defended Taiwan’s prudent approach. “Hong Kong has changed and is now controlled by the CCP,” he said, “so we need to protect ourselves from the possibility of China taking advantage of our looser Hong Kong immigration policies to infiltrate Taiwan “.
Taiwan has begun contingency plans to lose official representation on the ground in Hong Kong as relations between the territories continue to deteriorate. Activists are concerned that Tsai will revoke the city’s special status, making it easier for Hong Kongers to move to the island than residents of mainland China.
“Taiwan’s door to Hong Kong is slowly closing,” Sang said. “Before it does, Taipei should allow supporters of democracy to enter.”
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