The number of Hong Kongers applying for residency in Taiwan reached 892 last month, a monthly high for this year, National Immigration Agency (NIA) statistics showed.
The number increased 70 percent from 525 in the same period last year, after Beijing imposed national security legislation on Hong Kong on June 30. The law defines and prohibits acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
As of last month, 4,775 Hong Kongers had filed for residency in Taiwan this year, the NIA statistics showed.
Photo: Bloomberg
From January to June, 710, 832, 784, 531, 495 and 531 Hong Kongers had filed for residency in Taiwan each month respectively, the statistics showed.
The annual number last year totaled 7,332 — a record high.
The rising trend could be attributed to a number of reasons, including similarities of culture and language, and the distance between Taiwan and Hong Kong, an agency official, who declined to be named, said yesterday.
The appeal of Taiwan’s greater democratic institutions is another reason, with several “unexpected tactics” used by Beijing to undermine Hong Kong’s pursuit of democracy in the past few years being the final straw, the official said.
Of the reasons given on residency applications from January to June, the top three were “to live with a Taiwanese blood relative or spouse,” “investment” and “work,” in that order.
Hong Kongers who have spent one year on a temporary residency permit in Taiwan, and have been outside the nation for less than 30 days, or have spent two consecutive years in Taiwan and have been in the nation for more than 270 days each year, are eligible for permanent residency, the agency said.
Only those who have acquired permanent residency can proceed with household registration and apply for a National Identification Card, it added.
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS