A timely and important piece in @ForeignPolicy by @lnachman32 and his team, including a survey result that shows #Taiwan is the No.1 destination for #HongKong people hoping to emigrate abroad. Canada and Australia are second and third.
The finding shows that almost half of people in #HongKong surveyed are thinking about leaving. Around 29% of those are thinking about moving to #Taiwan, 15% of those want to move to Canada and 13% of them want to move to Australia.
Despite the "lifeboat" program for all BNO passport holders, only about 10% of the #HongKong people surveyed want to move to the UK. Around 12% of them want to move to #China.
"One possible reason for the U.K.’s low ranking is that Johnson’s program only allows for BNO 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."
Another strong indicator is that with the high interest among #HongKong people surveyed to move to #Taiwan, #Taiwan government will need more robust program in place to deal with the potentially high volume of influx of #HK people.
"If interest in Taiwan materializes, Tsai will need to make Taiwan’s new HK assistance office even more robust. Fortunately, the issue of HK has been viewed with more consensus across party lines, with the pro-Beijing #KMT even supporting legislation to help HKers flee to Taiwan.
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My latest: #HongKong’s adoption of Article 23 Tuesday is being criticized by foreign governments, while some business figures say the law will hasten foreign businesses’ departure from the city.
@benedictrogers @SamuelBickett @laiyanhoeric
The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union expressed concern about the ambiguous language in the law and its speedy adoption, which was completed in less than two weeks.
Despite the international criticism, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee hailed the passage of Article 23 as “a historic moment for Hong Kong,” while the Chinese government expressed “full support” of the development.
Summary from #China Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Presser: "We insist on a political solution to all hotspot issues. We resolutely oppose all acts of hegemony, and vigorously safeguard national sovereignty, security, development and the common interests of developing countries.
We will never stop serving the people through diplomacy, and we will vigorously serve the overall situation of national development and stability."
"We will practice genuine multilateralism and promote the democratization of international relations. We will raise our flag more clearly on issues of principle relating to the legitimate rights and interests of the vast number of developing countries ...
"Chinese officials arrested more than 100 Tibetan monks and other ethnic Tibetans in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Thursday to quell protests against a massive dam project that would destroy six Buddhist monasteries ... rfa.org/english/news/t…
... and force the relocation of two villages."
In a rare act of defiance, residents have taken to the streets of Wangbuding township in Dege County in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture since Feb. 14 to oppose the plan to build the 2,240-megawatt Gangtuo hydropower station on the Drichu River.
My latest: The international community has praised #Taiwan’s democratic elections in the face of pressure from Beijing. However, some voters share their concerns on a range of issues with me following DPP's historic victory on Saturday.#Taiwanelections2024 independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia…
For millions of Taiwanese people, this weekend’s presidential and parliamentary elections were an example of a vibrant democracy despite the ire of Beijing that Lai Ching-te won an unprecedented third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“I think the result is a loud and clear message from us to the rest of the world that democracy is our preferred way of life and that Taiwan should be viewed and treated differently from China,” Angus Lai, a 23-year-old delivery worker said.
Taiwan issued a national warning about #China launching a satellite which is flying over the sky of southern Taiwan and cautioning citizens to watch for debris falling from the sky. The English translation of missile has been proven wrong by the Defense Ministry.
This happened as #Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu is holding an international press conference attended by dozens of foreign media outlets.
As Beijing has been repeatedly deploying balloons to areas around Taiwan, including some flying over Taiwan, some foreign media outlets raised question to Wu about whether the satellite launch is another election interference attempt by #Beijing.
"#China appointed a new head of its navy, a move that comes amid worsening tensions in the South China Sea." bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Hu Zhongming was promoted to the rank of general at a ceremony in Beijing attended by President Xi Jinping on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The change comes as China flexes its muscles in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its own, and in the Taiwan Strait.