Taipei threatens permit payback after Taiwan officials forced to leave Hong Kong over one-China principle
- The Mainland Affairs Council says Taiwanese authorities will ‘uphold national dignity’ and act ‘based on parity and reciprocity’
- Row comes after four officials posted by Teco in Hong Kong were forced to leave after refusing to sign a statement upholding the one-China principle
“Our side will take necessary actions to uphold our national dignity … and deal with the case based on parity and reciprocity,” the council said in a statement on Monday, responding to Hong Kong’s handling of the work permit issue. It did not elaborate.
Hong Kong has set up the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (HKETCO) as its representative office in Taipei operating – like its Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) counterpart – as a quasi-diplomatic agency.
Larry Chu, deputy director general of HKETCO, has been the acting chief since mid-2018. He is about to complete his tenure soon, said a source familiar with the matter. There are 11 other senior HKETCO officials, and the tenures of some of them are also due to expire this year, the source said.
The latest row came after four senior Taiwanese officials posted by Teco in Hong Kong were forced to leave the city after they refused to sign a statement “rigorously upholding the one-China principle” and agreeing to abide by Hong Kong law as a condition of having their work visas renewed.
Kao Ming-tsun, Teco’s acting director general, departed on Thursday, a day after two other directors – one in charge of administration and the other overseeing services at the office – also left, according to a source familiar with the matter. A secretary with the economic affairs section also returned to Taipei recently for the same reason, the source said.
Their departures leave Teco with just one director-level official who heads the economic affairs section, and 15 other lower-level officials, plus some 50 local staff, according to the source.
The council appointed Lu Chang-shui as Teco director general in mid-2018, but he has not taken office as Hong Kong has not yet approved his appointment, reportedly because he refuses to sign the document. Kao, head of Teco’s liaison section, has been acting on his behalf but with his return to the island, the only senior official still at Teco is its economic affairs section director, Ni Po-chia.
The council declined to confirm the one-China principle was behind the row, but complained of “political interference” over the personnel issue.
“Through the Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Cooperation Council, and Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Cooperation Council, we have expressed our concern over the [work permit] issue, but there has been no direct response from the Hong Kong side and they even raised the unreasonable demand that has gone beyond what was agreed when the two sides set up the offices,” the council said.
Ma, from the Kuomintang, adopted a policy of engagement with Beijing and recognised the “1992 consensus” – an understanding that both Taiwan and the mainland agree that there is only one China, but each can have its own definition of what that means.
This has also affected relations with Hong Kong authorities, and it has become increasingly difficult for Taiwan to send representatives to its Hong Kong office.
