The government must make timely adjustments to its Hong Kong policy to safeguard national security, as it remains a geopolitical hotspot amid intensified competition between the US and China, cross-strait experts told the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) in a recent meeting.
Members of the council’s Advisory Committee, which consists of cross-strait experts from academia and think tanks, convened to discuss changes in Hong Kong amid developments in US-China relations over the past few years.
Beijing has weakened the governing capability of the Hong Kong government and ensured that every aspect of its society strictly follows its national security guidelines, committee members said.
Photo: AP
Hong Kong has also experienced a dramatic societal change with the increase of Chinese students enrolling in universities there, they said.
“While Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Tourism Administration could have representatives stationed in Shanghai, no Taiwanese government official could be stationed in Hong Kong at the moment,” the members said.
“This shows that the Hong Kong government has become relatively more cautious and self-restrained when it comes to matters related to Taiwan,” they said. “Employees working in the MAC’s office in Hong Kong have tough days ahead, and need more encouragement and care.”
The government needs to continue monitoring political and economic changes in Hong Kong, and how other countries respond, the members said, adding that Taiwan needs to take all these situations into account and make a timely policy adjustment accordingly.
The gap between the US’ and China’s economic and political prowess has been shrinking since 2008, and the competitive tendencies of the two superpowers are expected to remain unchanged in the years to come, they said.
Hong Kong’s role as a geopolitical bridge between the US and China did not completely cease after 2020, particularly in the global economic, trade and financial sectors, the members said.
Although US politicians seem to have paid less attention to issues related to Hong Kong over the past few years, the US government continues to view Hong Kong as a place where it engages in strategic competition with China, they added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remains a key person to look at when gauging US policy toward Hong Kong, they said.
Although there has not yet been an apparent decline in the number of financial firms that have their headquarters in Hong Kong, there has been a gradual increase in Chinese firms and banks traded in the Hong Kong stock market, they said.
Falling housing prices and foreign firms withdrawing investments are important indicators of economic and financial changes in Hong Kong, they added.
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