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Since the beginning of the mobilization in Hong Kong, several young protesters have found refuge in Taiwan. Support groups ask for the adoption of legislation to simplify obtaining residence permits.
Will Taiwan ever become a safe haven for Hong Kong people threatened by China? One hour flight from Hong Kong, the question is posed seriously today. Since the first demonstrations, the Taiwanese government has already reached out several times to the Hong Kong people seeking refuge on this autonomous and democratic archipelago. But the proposed solutions are temporarily temporary or apply only case by case.
► These young Taiwanese who are mobilizing for Hong Kong
The National Taiwan University (NTU) is one of the fastest-growing faculties in the world after several years of suspended education in several Hong Kong institutions. The disruption came after a tough police intervention on the campuses of the Chinese University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in mid-November. " We do not look at whether the students participated in the protests or not. What interests us is to ensure the continuity of their academic learning, "says NTU vice president Chiapei Chou. The faculty has enabled nearly 200 Hong Kong students to complete their semester in Taiwan.
" We are asking for a real asylum law "
But this reception has a limited duration. " Some students would like to stay next semester, and that's another problem. Each department of the faculty will select students' files according to their own criteria. I would say it will be more restrictive, "says the head of the NTU. What will happen to Hong Kong students who want to stay in Taiwan? The Taiwan Ministry of Continental Affairs generally refers to a regulation applicable to Hong Kong nationals and Macau . In Article 18, the text provides for assistance to individuals threatened for political reasons.
But for Yu-Fan Chen, spokesperson for a group of lawyers who voluntarily accompanies the Hong Kong, this legislation is an empty shell. " Article 18 is too restrictive in definition and we rarely use it. We are asking for a real asylum law that can be applied to people threatened for their political opinions, be they Hong Kong, Chinese, Tibetan or even any country! Explains the young lawyer who participated in the Sunflower movement in 2014 against a free trade agreement with China.
Although several Chinese and Tibetan dissidents have taken refuge in Taiwan in the past, the adoption of such a law remains unpopular in Taiwan. Several similar legislative proposals have been rejected by the Taiwanese Parliament in recent years. " As in France or in Europe, the people of Taiwan are worried about refugees taking advantage of their health system, our pension system or our social system. Even if our party would like to have an asylum law, we have to take these concerns into account , "said Yen-Jong Lee, spokesman for the Progressive Democratic Party, currently in the majority in the legislature.
20% more residence permits
These concerns are compounded by the particularly ambiguous situation of Taiwan against Beijing. China claims indeed Taiwan, autonomous and democratic territory, officially called "Republic of China". " The question between Taiwan and Hong Kong refers to relations between Taiwan and China. This is a sensitive subject for the government and that is why we prefer that the measures of assistance to the Hong Kong people remain discreet, "confirms Yen-Jong Lee.
According to figures from the Ministry of Continental Affairs of Taiwan, 4,300 residence permits were granted to Hong Kong nationals between January and October 2019, an increase of 20% over last year. It is impossible, however, to know the part of Hong Kong people present in Taiwan for political reasons. However, for lawyer Yu-Fan Chen, whose group follows nearly a hundred of them, the majority of these young people want to return to Hong Kong to resume their participation in the movement. According to another association official, only a few Hong Kong actively sought after have been permanently sheltered in Taiwan. These activists were able to obtain residence permits through conventional regulations, such as obtaining a work or study visa.
In the event of a crackdown in Hong Kong, the number of demonstrators wishing to settle in Taiwan could obviously accelerate. But a few weeks before the general vote in Taiwan next January, the presidential party carefully avoids putting the subject on the table. " We would like to have an asylum law, but it takes time and requires a lot of effort, " said Yen-Jong Lee, a spokesman for the Progressive Party, with a smile. A position that disappoints Taiwanese activists, like researcher Lev Nachman and journalist Brian Hioe. " Hong Kong people are hostages to the Taiwan presidential election ," they lamented last week in the columns of the Japanese magazine The Diplomat .