A survey by Hong Kong-based think tank Civic Exchange has indicated that 42 percent of Hong Kong residents are considering moving out of the region, mostly due to political dissatisfaction.
From the 1,500 people surveyed, 70 percent said Hong Kong had become “worse” or “much worse” to live in, with housing, quality of government and education listed as their biggest concerns.
A Coconuts Hong Kong report, citing data relating to the first quarter of this year, indicates that the number of Hong Kong residents immigrating to Canada has nearly doubled, compared with the same period last year. There was also a 36 percent rise in the number of residents moving permanently to Taiwan over a similar time frame, while Australia aggregates figures for immigrants including those from Hong Kong and Macau.
Chris Lee, who previously resided in Hong Kong, was convinced to move to Taiwan after the February riot in the region. According to him, Hong Kong residents have become “irrational and fickle,” driving him to leave the territory, aside from the “politics that are messed up.”
Andrew Lo, director of Anlex Services Limited, which handles Taiwanese immigration cases, confirmed that the “Occupy Central” protest in late 2014 has attributed to residents’ diminishing confidence in their territory.
Coconuts also stated that the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers who specialized in controversial political literature about Chinese leaders has also led to the diminished confidence in the “one country, two systems” policy.
One of the booksellers who returned to Hong Kong reported he might move to Taiwan as he no longer feels safe in the city.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan expects a continuous increase in the number of Hong Kong immigrants, boasting its region as an “open, pluralistic and liberal democracy.”
“Housing prices and consumer prices are relatively cheap, while entrepreneurial opportunities and the similarity in cultures of Hong Kong and Taiwan are all factors for Hong Kong residents to consider coming to Taiwan,” stated the Authority. MDT
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