Hongkongers Find New Homes in Taiwan To Avoid Beijing Encroachment

Protesters mostly from local universities display placards during a demonstration in Taipei on June 16, 2019, in support of the protests in Hong Kong against the proposed extradition bill. One of the placards reads “Taiwan Supports Hong Kong.” Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Many Hongkongers have immigrated to neighboring Taiwan in recent years to enjoy the democratic freedom that is slowly being lost in Hong Kong. 

“The freedom in Hong Kong is being eroded step by step. Many of the students protesters [in Hong Kong] against the proposed extradition bill have said they want to immigrate, whether it is to Taiwan, to the U.K., or to Japan,” said Ho Wing-tung, a Hong Kong student in Taiwan, in a phone interview with the Asia-Pacific bureau of the New York-based broadcaster NTD.