Read on Twitter
How far does #Taiwanese solidarity w/HK extend? After this HKer Tweeted frustration w/friends focused more on #Taiwan2020 v. #antiELABhk s/he's been inundated w/messages against the asylum bill (e.g. TW is 4 TWese not Chinese) but also notes saying TW & HK are in common struggle https://twitter.com/Tomorro88027712/status/1170416498872995840
Some #Taiwanese oppose granting broad asylum to #HongKongers if the latter do not demand independence - fearing large-scale resettlement of Chinese refugees on #Taiwan will make the country more vulnerable to PRC attempts to regain control of its citizens. https://twitter.com/rhokilpatrick/status/1264550519101521926
HKers are upset at being used as electoral props by @iingwen. Domestically in #Taiwan though, accepting Chinese refugees is fraught given the 1949 takeover & the lack of transitional justice since. #Taiwanese are trying to figure out just how much their struggles overlap w/ #HK's.
I think the answer is a lot. But there is no simple consensus in #Taiwan about this - whether granting full legal rights to people who might fundamentally see themselves as Chinese or welcome unification w/a democratic PRC will erode Taiwan's hard-fought identity and independence
See these thoughtful comments on the domestic political considerations @iingwen must take into account when crafting a refugee policy for #HongKongers in #Taiwan, esp. the possibility that @DPPonline could be accused of trying to increase their vote share: https://twitter.com/HY1_Chen1/status/1264574919536340993
Effectively helping Hong Kongers requires discretion and strategy. Aid has been quietly extended by local #Taiwanese politicians while suspension of #HK’s special legal status should be a multilateral effort, not one undertaken by #Taiwan alone. https://twitter.com/tropicalvoid/status/1264971973769039881?s=20
Wish the Taiwanese leaving unsupportive comments under this Tweet would take a moment to reflect on how they are hurting their own cause. How powerful instead would it be to look for creative ways to accommodate Hong Kongers & build cross-border alliances. https://twitter.com/JimmyLaiApple/status/1265217361361154048
It might well be that the best way for Taiwan to help Hong Kongers without endangering itself is quietly & clandestinely. Perhaps results are more important than a particular process. But there is a chance for Taiwanese to both do good & to help ease TW's diplomatic isolation.
