On June 18, 2020, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan announced details on the planning and operation of the Hong Kong Humanitarian Aid Project. It will be implemented by the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council(THEC), the existing Taiwan-Hong Kong exchange platform, under which the Taiwan-Hong Kong Office for Exchanges and Services will be established as a contact window for Hong Kong people who need assistance upon entering Taiwan legally.

Besides dealing with requests for humanitarian assistance in accordance with the Article 18 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs of the Taiwan law, the project also involves the government of Taiwan providing more well-defined and professional consultation service for companies and individuals who intend to invest, start a business, or seek employment in Taiwan. In terms of its policy direction and functions, the project can address current appeals without going through the time-consuming legislative Procedure, and at the same time take Taiwan’s national security and public sentiment into account. This solution can be regarded as a feasible compromise amid the current perilous international and cross-strait relations.

Refraining from grating on Beijing's nerves

The MAC has been known for its cautiousness in its policy making. Understandably, the humanitarian aid project won’t be easy to cruise into domestic and international politics to be put into practice. There is a foundation for the project, which, however, also has its limitations. This can be observed as follows.

From the perspective of domestic politics, the results of opinion polls released by the MAC, the Academia Sinica and the United Daily News in early June indicated that over half of the population in Taiwan supported the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong.

In particular, the younger and more educated tend to show greater support for democracy, freedom and judicial independence in the city. The polls also showed that most self-proclaimed political party supporters opposed to Beijing’s enactment of the Hong Kong version of the national security law, which will undermine Hong Kong’s "One country, Two systems"status. That means the majority of Taiwanese people stand behind Hong Kong. It also bestows the Taiwanese government the legitimacy of its policy of humanitarian assistance.

Also, our government is reluctant to grate on Beijing’s sensitive nerves at a time when there is a lack of mutual trust across the strait. After all, since it erupted in June last year, the Hong Kong anti-extradition movement has been designated by Beijing as a "colour revolution" involving foreign powers in action. Taiwan has also been said to be meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs. The national security law to be imposed on Hong Kong is being drafted on this ideological basis. Keen to help Hongkongers, our government has opted for an approach that incorporates existing exchange platforms for Taiwan-Hong Kong relations without making new laws or invoking another law, thus optimising the kind of assistance we can offer to the city.

Furthermore, although Article 18 states that assistance shall be provided to Hong Kong people under political threats, as a matter of fact the number of applications for assistance or residency in Taiwan in accordance with this article is relatively small.

Besides, such applicants were scrutinised as political refugees. It was not easy for the asylum seekers to be treated with prejudice, especially when they had left everything behind in their hometown and had barely managed to start anew in a new place that offered them shelter. In recent years, the number of Hongkongers seeking to settle in Taiwan has been rising steadily. It seems unfair to deliberately emphasize the political asylum pathway, so that those newcomers from Hong Kong who are actually fond of Taiwan and its culture are labeled as a certain type of people.

Therefore, I have been calling on the government of Taiwan not to clarify the definition of"being politically threatened" in the Article 18.Applications from Hong Kong can be duly processed according to the existing law regarding applying for residency in Taiwan.

Although most people in Taiwan sympathize with Hong Kong people and support the government’s efforts to help them come to Taiwan, it has to be mentioned that Taiwan is still a relatively conservative society. If amending the law leads to mass migration of Hongkongers, Taiwanese people might be anxious and panic about job competition, surge in property prices, and increasingly crowded living space. All these will beunfavourable to the humanitarian aid project’s implementation in the long term and itsoriginal good intentions.

From the perspective of international politics, Hong Kong is at the forefront of China-US geopolitical confrontation, and the current tension between the two countries has prompted Beijing to toughen its approach, thus heightening Hong Kong people’s anxiety and restlessness. In turn, the discontent and backlash in the city have worried Beijing, which then has to double down on its hardline approach. Such a downward spiral only worsens the tension between mainland China and Hong Kong. In a poll conducted in Hong Kong in early June, nearly 37% of Hong Kong people considered emigration.Obviously, this has been highly influenced by the political turmoil.

Strengthening the pragmaticality of the current mechanism

A few days ago, Yang Jiechi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Hawaii. The two exchanged views and clarified their positions regarding their relationships, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. The meeting was seen as a constructive dialogue at this extraordinary time. Both sides agreed to keep their communication lines open. If China-US relations stabilize moderately in the future, it will help alleviate Hong Kong people’sworries and urge to leave their city.

In light of the factors shaping international and domestic politics, Taiwanese citizens should acknowledge the government’s humanitarian aid project, which under the mandate prescribed by existing laws and regulations, should be sufficient to make the existing mechanism more flexible and feasible.

(Hsiao Tu-Huan, Deputy Secretary-general, The Friends of Hong Kong and Macau
Association in Taiwan)

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