Hong Kongers began arriving in Taiwan in 2019 as political refugees. This exodus followed the crackdown against protesters involved in the anti-extradition bill movement demonstrations of 2019 to 2020 and the resulting National Security Law (NSL) imposed by Beijing. Since then around 50,000 Hong Kongers have arrived in Taiwan.
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Kacey Wong, an artist and activist who helped organize the Hong Kong Day event with Fu Tong [also a HK refugee], agreed. “Taiwan has been going through a renaissance since the first influx of political refugees arrived,” said Wong, a prominent activist since the 2014 Umbrella Movement against reforms to Hong Kong’s electoral system. “I’ve been an accidental witness and beneficiary to this change of mentality.”
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From outside Taiwan, long-time trackers of China’s transnational repression see encouraging signs but more work to be done.
“Having discussed these incidents with political figures, and civil society, during a visit to Taiwan in November, I know they are uppermost in the minds of the public officials I met,” said Benedict Rogers, cofounder of Hong Kong Watch and the U.K. Conservative Party’s human rights commission. “That said, I would urge Taiwan to intensify its efforts to safeguard its freedom and security. Likewise, democracies worldwide should coordinate with Taiwan to more effectively counter transnational repression.”