Many in Hong Kong moving to democratic Taiwan to escape China’s looming grasp

For Hong Kong resident Yung Xiu Kwan, 67, a proposed extradition law that would allow people in the former British colony to be sent to mainland China for trial was the final straw.

“Taiwan can offer that because Taiwan has democratic elections and a constitution that safeguards democracy.” Hong Kong has been governed under a “one country, two systems” formula since its return from British to Chinese rule in 1997, allowing it certain freedoms, including an independent judiciary. Courts in mainland China are controlled by the Communist Party.

While Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam indefinitely suspended the extradition bill, protest organizers said about two million people still took to the streets on Sunday to call for a full withdrawal and to demand Lam step down. The extradition bill is the latest in a string of issues that have troubled ties between Hong Kong and Beijing, with Hong Kong people increasingly upset by an inflow of Chinese immigrants and sky-high property prices partly pushed by mainland investors.

“It’s like there’s a burglar in my house and I’m the one who’s forced to leave because I couldn’t defeat him,” said Chan, who moved to Taiwan in 2016 and is planning to arrange for his parents to retire there. “I’m moving to Taiwan with my wife next year,” said Melvin Chu, a Hong Kong resident in his late 20s who joined Sunday’s rally, citing worries over political freedoms.Some Hong Kong youth are so desperate to leave they have opted to join Taiwan’s compulsory military service for men under 36 in a bid to get residency, which comes at a price tag of $191,600 USD.

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