Taiwanese officials in Hong Kong have been told that their visas would not be renewed if they do not sign a document supporting Beijing’s claim to Taiwan under its “one China” principle, sources have said.
Several officials at Taiwan’s de facto Hong Kong consulate who were due to renew their visas have been asked by the Hong Kong government to sign the document, a senior Taiwanese official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The move is unprecedented and presents an “unnecessary political obstacle” for Taipei-Hong Kong ties, the official said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
“They won’t issue the visa if we don’t sign the document,” the official said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. “We will try our best to defend our stance. Our representatives in Hong Kong will hold fast to their position.”
The Hong Kong Immigration Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) on Thursday said that the Hong Kong government is establishing unnecessary red tape outside of established bilateral regulations recognized by Taipei and Hong Kong, adding that Taiwan would “never accept” politically motivated preconditions.
Chen made the remarks when asked about the Hong Kong government reportedly demanding that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong sign a document agreeing to Beijing’s “one China” principle before the visa of Acting Representative to Hong Kong Kao Ming-tsun (高銘村) would be renewed.
While declining to confirm the report, Chen said that the Hong Kong government had “set up an unnecessary hurdle.”
Taipei has refused the demand and Kao is returning to Taiwan, the sources said, adding that despite not having a representive on site, the office would be maintained until the situation becomes untenable.
Taiwan would resolutely uphold its national interests and the dignity of Taiwanese in light of the controversial national security legislation imposed by Beijing in Hong Kong, the council said.
Stating that Taiwan seeks to function normally in Hong Kong and maintain normal interactions, the council urged the Hong Kong government to return to established norms agreed on by both sides and to maintain goodwill.
The office has five divisions — consular affairs; news and culture; general; economy; and contact — and its officials are on three-year rotations.
The consular affairs and general divisions are staffed by council officials, while the news and culture division is staffed by the Ministry of Culture’s Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center.
Of the office’s five division heads, only Economy Division Director Ni Po-chia (倪伯嘉) remains, although the office’s consular and visa services are ongoing, sources said.
Consular Affairs Director Chou Chii-jui (周家瑞) and General Division Director Lee Chin-mei (李晉梅) have also returned Taiwan because of expired work visas, sources said, adding that the Hong Kong government has yet to respond to the office’s requests to extend their visas.
Taiwan maintains its stance that it is an independent and sovereign nation, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan greatly welcomes capital or talented people wishing to relocate from Hong Kong.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in