Commentary: Did Hong Kong just sever ties with Taiwan?
WELLINGTON: A strange development took identify this calendar week regarding cross-strait relations.
On Tuesday (May 18), the Ramble and Mainland Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region appear that its representative function in Taiwan, the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan (HKETCO), will append operations effective immediately.
The HKETCO had a good 10-year run. Established in December 2011, the HKETCO is responsible for the economic, trade and cultural relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Hong Kong has over twenty such offices beyond China and in other parts of the world, including Singapore, Thailand and Republic of indonesia.
READ: Commentary: Why is onetime Chinese premier Wen Jiabao'south eulogy nigh his female parent beingness censored?
HONG KONG'S Function IN TAIWAN HAS BEEN WINDING DOWN FOR YEARS
Yet the news that Hong Kong has suspended operations of its Taiwan office is but a formality.
The HKETCO has been winding downwards operations since 2018. After the departure of its second manager Zheng Weiyuan in July 2018, Hong Kong has non appointed a successor.
Its operations take been supervised past Deputy Manager Zhu Hao who doubled as acting director.
The original setup of the HKETCO included 12 staff - 4 from Hong Kong and eight from Taiwan.
Simply the Hong Kong office has seen a dwindling number since the kickoff of 2021, ostensibly because it was difficult to replace Hong Kong staff subsequently they returned home.
Due to concerns over COVID-xix, the Hong Kong's Ramble and Mainland Affairs Bureau had explained earlier, Hong Kong could non send Hong Kong staff to replace those completing their service in Taiwan in early 2021.
Even so when asked on Tuesday, a Hong Kong authorities spokesperson said the suspension of the operations of the Hong Kong office in Taiwan this fourth dimension had null to practise with COVID-19. Tellingly, when asked if the decision was due to politics, Hong Kong authorities declined to annotate.
READ: Commentary: Cathay's tech firms were supposed to help achieve the Chinese Dream
READ: Commentary: Why China's US$two.8 billion fine is a huge relief for Alibaba
The Hong Kong government said information technology would continue to operate virtually in Taiwan, through hotlines and online services provided through its GovHK website.
What is left unsaid is that the Hong Kong regime is not intending to replenish its Hong Kong staff to resume operations on the ground in Taiwan in the nearly future.
TAIWAN'S OFFICE IN HONG KONG HAS Also BEEN WINDING DOWN
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said it was sorry to hear virtually Hong Kong'southward unilateral decision and understandably so. Taiwan's office in Hong Kong, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Function, has also been winding down but reluctantly.
Originally established as an entity known as the Chung Hwa Travel Service during British rule of Hong Kong, Taiwan'due south office in Hong Kong was renamed the Taipei Economical and Cultural Function in 2022 by then Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
Taiwan'due south Mainland Affairs Committee appointed Lu Chang-shui in June 2022 to replace parting managing director Yan Zhong-guang, only Lu could not become to Hong Kong considering of the Hong Kong government'southward refusal to grant him a visa.
Lu had reportedly resisted signing a declaration committing to "rigorously (upholding) the One-Prc principle", a new condition imposed by Hong Kong officials for Taiwanese officials requesting for a work visa.
Lu was not the last Taiwanese staff fellow member to have faced this. Kao Ming-tsun, acting director of the Hong Kong part and some inferior staff members similarly encountered visa troubles. They were forced to render to Taiwan in July 2022 afterward their visas expired and they could not secure a renewal.
Out of five exclusive leaders of Taiwan's Hong Kong Part, merely 1, the head of the economic department, Ni Bo-chia, remains in Hong Kong. Section primary positions for the liaison, cultural, information and service departments remain unfilled.
READ: Commentary: Could 'blackness easily' exist behind the Hong Kong protests?
READ: Commentary: This may be the stop of Hong Kong as we know it
Given this state of affairs, information technology is only a matter of time that Taiwan's Hong Kong office volition have to terminate operations by the end of 2022 when the three-year visas of all of the remaining 8 Taiwanese staff will expire.
Assuming none of them sign a declaration to uphold the I-China principle as required by the Hong Kong government, they would all accept to return, leaving no one to human being the part.
Taiwan's Hong Kong office would then see the same fate as Hong Kong's office in Taiwan: Where staff operate virtually, less because of COVID-19 and mostly owing to political differences.
HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG AND THE World
The implications of these recent moves go beyond the touch on on relations betwixt Hong Kong and Taiwan and augurs poorly for Hong Kong'due south time to come.
Moving the Taiwanese office out of Hong Kong effectively eliminates Taiwan'southward physical, diplomatic toehold on the metropolis.
Worse, if the Hong Kong government extends its practise and requires all Taiwanese visitors to sign a declaration of the Ane-China principle, it would effectively cutting the urban center'southward people-to-people flows with Taiwan.
READ: Commentary: Hong Kong's hereafter clearly lies with China
READ: Commentary: Communist china's divide-and-conquer strategy isn't fooling anyone anymore
Where Taiwan is Hong Kong'south third largest trading partner, the furnishings are chilling, non to mention counter-productive for Hong Kong. Fewer Taiwanese traders would negotiate trade deals in Hong Kong.
Where Hong Kong has served as a bridge between Red china and Taiwan for decades, trade between both sides through Hong Kong, which amounted to HK$411 billion (U.s.a.$53 billion) in 2019, almost equal to the value of bilateral trade between Hong Kong and Taiwan of the same yr, could slow.
And if the Hong Kong government extends its practice of requiring all foreigners seeking work permits to sign a argument upholding the i-Communist china principle, the city could effectively cut ties with the entire globe and isolate itself in the process.
Professor Bo Zhiyue is founder and president of the Bo Zhiyue China Constitute, a consulting firm providing services to authorities leaders and CEOs of multinational corporations.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/commentary-did-hong-kong-just-sever-ties-taiwan-277516
0 Response to "Commentary: Did Hong Kong just sever ties with Taiwan?"
Post a Comment