Taiwan’s representative office in Hong Kong is to relocate next week because of its smaller workforce, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which oversees the office, said on Monday.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong, which is located at the Lippo Centre in the Admiralty area, is to relocate to Central Plaza in Wan Chai on Monday next week, the council said.
The office in Hong Kong is staffed only by local employees hired on a contract basis because all Taiwanese officials who previously worked at the office were forced to leave Hong Kong after their work visas expired.
They had no choice but to leave the territory after refusing to sign a “one China” affidavit.
The “one China” affidavit requirement, which would commit Taiwanese officials to agreeing that Taiwan is part of China, reflects the growing stranglehold that Beijing has on the former British colony.
The council said the office would continue to provide consular services, such as changing passports and issuing documents for Taiwanese citizens, as well as issuing visas for foreign applicants.
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