Umbrella Movement

As Democracy Further Deteriorates in Hong Kong, Taiwan Proposes Increasing Barriers to Hong Kong Permanent Residency

The deterioration of what is left of electoral democracy continues in Hong Kong, with plans by the Hong Kong government to decrease the number of directly elected district councilor seats from over 90% to around 20%. Despite this, the Mainland Affairs Council may move forward with plans to increase the barriers for Hongkongers seeking to obtain permanent residency in Taiwan...

Visa Denials for Pro-Democracy District Councilors May Reflect Hardening Views of Hongkongers in Taiwan

A report by Hong Kong’s Ming Pao last week stated that at least two current pro-democracy Hong Kong district councilors and several former Hong Kong district councilors have not heard any answer from the Taiwanese government when applying for visas to visit Taiwan, or had their applications rejected. This occurred despite that these district councilors were not intending to flee to Taiwan for asylum, were only hoping to travel with friends and family to Taiwan to vacation, see friends, and sightseeing, and some had successfully entered Taiwan as recently as 2021...

Largest National Security Trial to Date Starts in Hong Kong

The largest national security trial to date in Hong Kong started on Monday, with 47 defendants standing trial over charges of “conspiracy to commit subversion", with the act of subversion being directed at the state. The trial is over the defendants’ participation in or involvement in organizing primaries for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong LegCo elections...

Low Turnout in Hong Kong’s “Patriots Only” Legislative Elections

Hong Kong held its first “patriots-only” election for the Legislative Council (LegCo) yesterday in an election that was marked by record low turnout. The election only saw 30.2% participation, or 1.35 million ballots cast. This was nearly half of the turnout in 2016, when LegCo elections were last held, which saw 58% turnout...

Rally in Support of Hongkongers, Other Groups Facing Oppression from China Held to Mark Chinese National Day

Groups rallied today in front of the legislature to call attention to the Chinese government’s authoritarianism and to call on the Taiwanese government to take stronger action for Hongkongers in need of assistance. The rally took place today because October 1st is Chinese National Day...