ABC News:
As the Chinese government increased its crackdown on political speech and dissenters in Hong Kong in recent years, tens of thousands of longtime residents have fled to nearby Taiwan to escape the oppression.
For many ex-pats, like Annie Zhang, a former editor of a Hong Kong-based media company, their new surroundings have allowed them to express themselves without any fear of jail time or other forms of severe repercussions.
“Many of my friends are cultural producers, or maybe they are booksellers. They are writers. They are artists, but they cannot create things freely in Hong Kong now. So that’s why they chose to leave,” Zhang told ABC News.
Even as tension has risen between Taiwan and its allies and China, some of those in exile say they are determined to speak out and push back against the aggression.
More than 121,000 Hong Kong residents have left the territory in the last year, according to data from Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department.
Since 2019, Taiwan has welcomed more than 37,000 Hong Kong residents, according to data from the Taiwanese government.
Two years ago, the Chinese government imposed new national security law on Hong Kong that outlawed “secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign collusion” in intervening in Hong Kong’s affairs. The law was enacted following protests in 2019 and 2020 against the government over its attempt to change its extradition policy
Hundreds of Hong Kong residents were arrested and targeted in violations of the law for speaking out against the government.
