Taiwan sees rise in immigration from Hong Kong amid national security crackdown

The democratic island of Taiwan is expecting a new wave of arrivals from the former British colony of Hong Kong, where the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is presiding over a city-wide crackdown on civil society, public dissent and political opposition under a draconian national security law.

The latest statistics from the Taiwan Immigration Department indicate that number of Hong Kong residents emigrating to Taiwan hit a new high in 2021, the island’s Mainland Affairs Commission (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told reporters on Friday.

The island’s interior ministry handed out 9,772 residence cards to Hong Kong residents between January and November 2021, compared with 9,501 in the same period in 2020.

Permanent residency was awarded to 1,572 Hongkongers, compared with 1,397 in the same period the previous year.

“We have made some draft amendments to the rules … in line with talent recruitment regulations to extend the period of residency [for students] past the completion of their masters and doctorate degrees,” Chiu said. “The draft changes have been … sent to the Executive Yuan for review.”

“I expect their implementation to be announced soon,” Chiu said.

Full story: rfa.org

By Raymond Chung and Fong Tak Ho