Hong Kong entertainment tycoon Charles Heung’s (向華強) application for Taiwanese residency is likely to founder due to his ties to Beijing, a source connected to the national security establishment said.
Heung is chairman of China Star Entertainment (中國星). The former actor is perhaps best known for playing a supporting role in the 1989 film God of Gamblers.
Heung filed the residency application on the grounds that his wife, Tiffany Chan (陳嵐), is Taiwanese, and his family have been lobbying lawmakers to facilitate his immigration bid, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
However, national security officials believe that Heung is a potential security risk, the source said.
As a pro-Beijing celebrity in good standing with the Chinese Communist Party and a fortune in the billions, Heung has no reason to leave Hong Kong, the source said.
When China’s National People’s Congress promulgated the National Security Law in Hong Kong, Heung was one of 3,000 celebrities to sign a public statement supporting the controversial legislation, the source said.
Heung’s family has deep ties to Hong Kong’s largest criminal organization, the Sun Yee On, the source said.
Another issue is that Heung’s son Jackie Heung (向佐) is a known member of the National Committee of the All-China Youth Federation, an organ bearing a strong connection to the Chinese Communist Youth League, they said.
Writing on social media during anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong last year, Chan called for the security apparatus to ban masks, accusing the protesters of “acting like animals and demons under the cover of masks,” the source said.
Being eligible for residency does not mean the application will be granted, the source said, adding that the evaluation process protects national security and the interests of Taiwanese.
Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) yesterday said that the government should approach the issue of Hong Kong immigrants from the perspective of defending Taiwan’s democratic way of life.
“A powerful player of Hong Kong’s entertainment world could import China’s political censorship if they are allowed to develop their career in Taiwan,” Lai said. “This has the potential to transform Taiwan’s entertainment industry in a worrisome direction.”
A spokesperson for the Taiwan-based Hong Kong Outlanders, who uses the pseudonym Justine, said that Taipei should reject the residency applications of Hong Kongers who support Beijing, or have an institutional affiliation to the Chinese government or military organizations.
“Such measures are necessary to protect the safety of Taiwanese and Hong Kongers living in Taiwan,” Justine said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said that Taiwan must look to its national security as the nation extends its friendship to Hong Kong.
“When Hong Kongers seek immigration to Taiwan, whether it is on grounds of family or as an investor, the government should look at their record, examine their potential ties to organized crime and be mindful of the national security angle,” Fan said.
TECH EFFECT: While Chiayi County was the oldest region in the nation, Hsinchu county and city, home of the nation’s chip industry, were the youngest, the report showed Seven of the nation’s administrative regions, encompassing 57.2 percent of Taiwan’s townships and villages, became “super-aged societies” in June, the Ministry of the Interior said in its latest report. A region is considered super-aged if 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or older. The ministry report showed that Taiwan had 4,391,744 people aged 65 or older as of June, representing 18.76 percent of the total population and an increase of 1,024,425 people compared with August 2018. In June, the nation’s elderly dependency ratio was 27.3 senior citizens per 100 working-aged people, an increase of 7.39 people over August 2018, it said. That
‘UNITED FRONT’: The married couple allegedly produced talk show videos for platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to influence Taiwan’s politics A husband and wife affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were indicted yesterday for allegedly receiving NT$74 million (US$2.32 million) from China to make radio and digital media propaganda to promote the Chinese government’s political agenda and influence the outcome of Taiwan’s elections. Chang Meng-chung (張孟崇) and his wife, Hung Wen-ting (洪文婷), allegedly received a total of NT$74 million from China between 2021 and last year to promote candidates favored by Beijing, contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and election laws, the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office said. The couple acted as Beijing’s propaganda mouthpiece by disparaging Hong Kong democracy activists
EARLY ARRIVALS: The first sets of HIMARS purchased from the US arrived ahead of their scheduled delivery, with troops already training on the platforms, a source said The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, flying to the south of Taiwan proper on the way to exercises in the Pacific, a second consecutive day it has reported such activities. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the missions, reported just days before tomorrow’s US presidential election. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Its arms sales to Taipei include a US$2 billion missile system announced last month. The MND said that from 9am yesterday,
A Control Yuan member yesterday said he would initiate an investigation into why the number of foreign nationals injured or killed in traffic incidents has nearly doubled in the past few years, and whether government agencies’ mechanisms were ineffective in ensuring road safety. Control Yuan member Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said in a news release that Taiwan has been described as a “living hell for pedestrians” and traffic safety has become an important national security issue. According to a National Audit Office report released last year, more than 780,000 foreign nationals were legally residing in Taiwan in 2019, which grew to more than
RSS