The UK-based Sun newspaper on Aug. 17 published an editorial, titled “Britain should throw open doors to Hong Kong’s brightest after China breaks handover promises,” which said that the Hong Kong elite should be allowed to live in the UK.
“We can throw our doors open to the best and brightest in the small territory, giving them a ticket to the front of the immigration queue,” the editorial said.
“Leaving the EU, we’ll have the chance to build an immigration system fit for the 21st century... Even before that, we can send a signal that Britain is still a home for those who want to get on in a free society,” it said.
If we compare Taiwan’s area and population with Southeast Asian countries, its risk of declining competitiveness is more than 10 times higher than the risk facing the UK. The nation’s birthrate has fallen to among the the lowest in the world in the past seven years and the population will start to decline soon, with the National Development Council expecting it to peak at about 23.8 million in 2021 and then start to decline to between 17.3 million and 19.7 million by 2060.
Moody’s Investors Service senior analyst Anushka Shah late last year said that maintaining the manufacturing industry’s productivity is crucial to Taiwan and that although the industry is the main driver of the economy, it is at increasing risk of being hollowed out.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has launched a series of policies to promote childbirth, but it is more important to employ a flexible immigration policy to tackle the risk of declining competitiveness in a timely manner, although importing foreign labor will not solve the increasing risk that the manufacturing industry will be hollowed out.
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) proposed a slogan during his mayoral campaign last year: “Get the goods out and tourists in so everyone can make a big fortune,” but the problem is that if Taiwan focuses on promoting agricultural products and local tourism, it will be difficult to fundamentally enhance the strength of the manufacturing industry.
In terms of expanding domestic demand, allowing the Hong Kong elite with their purchasing power to immigrate here could create demand in the real-estate market and local tourism sector in central and southern cities. It could even boost utilization rates of the costly “urban rail transit” systems that are part of the Cabinet’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
With incentives such as lowering the immigration policy’s investment threshold to NT$5 million (US$159,226) from NT$6 million, the government could open doors for Hong Kong’s elite. Lower home prices in Taiwan compared with Hong Kong is another incentive. Hong Kong could add new blood to Taiwan’s labor force, while the nation could also attract young “technology creators,” as a large number of the Hong Kong elite would likely prefer to start their own businesses in a more liberal environment.
With the right preparation, Taiwan’s manufacturing industry could be bolstered and exports with high added value could boost the economy.
If 30,000 members of the Hong Kong elite immigrated to Kaohsiung over the next 10 years, imagine the resources and energy they would bring to the city.
Hsu Cheng-wang is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Architecture and Interior Design at Shu-Te University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with