I wrote earlier that in order to play out the “anti-Article 23” drama, the British government earlier relaxed visa restrictions on BNOs to show support for Hong Kong people, but it also played a double trick and prepared to tax BNO Hong Kong people’s property income in Hong Kong. Pour ice water over your head. In fact, the Canadian government is also the same. It sounds good in words but ugly in practice. When it was denouncing the national security law, it boasted of launching the “Hong Kong People’s Lifeboat Plan”, but when it came to implementation, there were many delays. According to the latest news, more than half of the Hong Kong people who applied for permanent residence under the plan are still drifting in the “lifeboats” and have not been able to get ashore. Half a day is in great distress.
The “Lifeboat Plan” provided by Canada to Hong Kong people attracted a large number of Hong Kong people to apply three years ago. However, so far, less than half have been approved for permanent residence, and more than 8,000 people are still waiting, half-awaited.
The Canadian government’s stance on China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is in step with the United States and the United Kingdom. After the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law” in June 2020, the so-called “Hong Kong Lifeboat Plan”, which is called “rescuing people” but actually “robbing people”, was launched from 2021 Starting from February 2020, Hong Kong residents who have obtained a degree from a Canadian college in the past five years, or have equivalent academic qualifications in other regions, can apply for a three-year work visa and then transition to permanent residence. The program was extended after two years, increasing the time required to obtain academic qualifications to the past 10 years.
Recently, the Hong Kong government passed 23 pieces of legislation, and the Hong Kong chaos organization “Hong Kong Watch” lobbied Canadian members of Congress and senior officials of the Department of Immigration to strengthen the implementation of the “Lifeboat Plan” to show support for Hong Kong. It can be seen from this that this plan has always been a “drama” for political expression.
However, speaking is one thing and doing it is another. According to recent reports from Canadian media, as of the beginning of this year, a total of 15,592 Hong Kong residents participating in the “Lifeboat Project” have applied for permanent resident status, but 8,357 applications have not been approved, more than half of them.
Among the Hong Kong residents who have yet to “take the boat” and disembark, many of their three-year work visas are about to expire. If they have not yet been approved for permanent residence, they may be forced to return to Hong Kong. The media interviewed a Hong Kong citizen who is engaged in the IT industry. He completed his master’s degree locally in June last year, but was only granted a 10-month work visa. If he fails to obtain the qualification to settle, he will be suspended for half a day. Even if the work visa can be extended, It was also difficult to afford the high education expenses for his children, causing him to lose a lot of money.
The Canadian government has not made it clear whether the Canadian government is granting permanent residence at a “snail’s pace” because of bureaucratic inefficiency or because it wants to tighten immigration policies. However, statistics do show that the number of immigrants in Canada is increasing rapidly, which has caused some adverse “side effects.” , has caused concern to the government.
According to government statistics, in the first nine months of last year, the population increased by 1.03 million, hitting a century high. 96% of them were international immigrants, mainly non-permanent residents holding work visas and study visas. The increase was quite alarming.
In order to prevent property prices from being inflated by new immigrants, the government stipulates that non-permanent residents are not allowed to purchase properties. Therefore, people who are waiting to obtain permanent residence status (including Hong Kong residents under the “Lifeboat Scheme”) can only rent apartments to live in, thus pushing up rents. High, the burden on tenants is getting heavier and heavier.
According to data from a market research company, the average rent in Canada in January reached 2,196 Canadian dollars (approximately 12,000 Hong Kong dollars). Vancouver, which has always had a strong housing market, topped the list. The average one-bedroom unit rent was 2,683 Canadian dollars (approximately 15,000 Hong Kong dollars), ranking first. There is still an upward trend.
In the face of an influx of immigrants, the government obviously wants to slow down the pace of “opening the door to welcome guests”. Some Hong Kong people who are preparing to board the “lifeboat” to immigrate to Canada naturally quit in the face of difficulties. In addition, the local rent is high, and the number of non-permanent residents is Education and medical expenses are also “heavy”, causing a significant drop in the number of people applying for the “Lifeboat Project”.
Residential rents in Canada have risen sharply, with Vancouver leading the way. The increasing rental burden for non-permanent residents has become one of the reasons for the sharp drop in the number of people applying for the “Lifeboat Plan”.
Figures from the Ministry of Immigration show that the number of Hong Kong people applying for this program has dropped sharply from 16,195 in 2022 to 455 last year. It can be seen that the peak period has passed and fewer and fewer people are joining the queue.
Friends who know the immigration situation point out that this trend is caused by several factors: 1. Canada’s economy is not good and employment is not easy; 2. The housing burden is heavy and quite difficult; 3. The British BNO visa program has taken away many people who want to immigrate. Hong Kong people; 4. The government’s delay in granting permanent residence makes the applicant’s future uncertain, so it is better to give up.
Some people have been saying recently that the Article 23 legislation will push up the number of immigrants from Hong Kong, but there is no actual data to prove this. Friends estimate that the number of people applying for the “Lifeboat Project” will not suddenly increase, and they will still wait and see. . He said that a recent immigration fair in Hong Kong attracted more people, but some people present said they were still 15 or 16. They were mainly worried about employment, housing, and paying taxes that were much heavier than in Hong Kong.
As for the BNO visa program, the number of applicants last year has also dropped significantly compared with the peak period in 2021. A friend in the political circle said that most of the people who immigrated to the UK on impulse have already gone, and those who are still interested in leaving are more sensible and will plan carefully first. The number of items determines the next step.
The organizer of that immigration exhibition conducted a poll of registered applicants. Among the respondents, those who wanted to immigrate for political reasons accounted for only a few percent, only a few percent. Their main considerations were Hong Kong’s economic prospects and their children. educate.
Based on this analysis, friends in political circles have concluded that not many people will rashly move to other countries because of the Article 23 legislation. Those with ulterior motives who have ulterior motives are bragging about another “immigration wave”. This is just a repeat of the same psychological warfare tactics and should not be fully believed.
Tokito Monogatari
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Earlier, Reuters broke the news that Trump had ordered the CIA to set up a secret team to spread unfavorable information about China in the media. It can be seen that information warfare has always been an important means for the United States to fight the Cold War. The Hong Kong government has recently completed 23 pieces of legislation and has also taken precautions against this. Of course, the normal media is not afraid, but it is like a sword hanging on the head of an organization with ulterior motives, and it is inevitable to panic.
There is news that Radio Free Asia will leave Hong Kong at the end of March and its staff will be transferred to Taipei. The station has a deep connection with the CIA and is a “propaganda tool” for the US government, which is very different from ordinary media.
Recently, news has spread in the industry that “Radio Free Asia”, which has deep connections with the CIA, will leave Hong Kong at the end of March and transfer its staff to Taipei. This seems to be a “risk-hedging” deployment under the new situation. This radio station has a special background. Its reports have been repeatedly accused by the Hong Kong government of deliberately discrediting it. It cannot be generalized with other media. Even if it is withdrawn, it will not have any impact on Hong Kong’s press freedom.
Radio Free Asia has four full-time employees and several part-time employees in Hong Kong. News circulating in the circle indicates that some of them will be transferred to the Taipei office and Washington headquarters, while the Hong Kong office will close in mid-April. I read the station’s news online today, and it was still posted as usual. One of the articles was “Hong Kong Art Basel unveils, art critics worry that restricted freedom will make artists abandon Hong Kong.”
Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung recently criticized Radio Free Asia for discrediting Article 23 of the legislation. The police force had earlier severely criticized the station for citing Hui Chi-fung’s inaccurate comments.
Recently, senior Hong Kong government officials have repeatedly rebuked the radio station for slander. Secretary for Security Tang Bing-keung bluntly criticized the station for mentioning that some of the crimes in Article 23 of the legislation were against the media. “This is wrong and false.” He also specifically pointed out that Radio Free Asia is “funded by the U.S. federal government”, that is, it has an official backing and a special background, and is not an ordinary media.
In addition, the Acting Chief Superintendent of the Police Public Relations Department, Leong Chung-man, also wrote to the station earlier this year, accusing the station of reporting on the retirement and promotion of senior police officers by quoting inaccurate remarks by wanted criminal Hui Chi-feng and wantonly smearing the force. The language in the letter is quite harsh.
Looking at the establishment history of Radio Free Asia, it is not surprising that it behaves like this. The station was established in 1996 and is funded by the U.S. International Media Agency, an independent agency of the U.S. government and one of the diplomatic departments. It also includes “Voice of America”, “Radio Free Europe”, and the “Cuban Broadcasting Office” , “Middle East Broadcasting Network”, etc., funded by government funding. The budget for Radio Free Asia in 2021 is US$39.5 million.
Its predecessor can be traced back to the Cold War in the 1950s. It was originally the “Free Asia Committee” founded by the CIA in 1951. It was headquartered in San Francisco. Its radio station was launched in the same year and broadcast to mainland China and Southeast Asia through relay stations. Mainly to carry out anti-communist propaganda.
During Clinton’s term as president, Congress passed the International Broadcasting Act in January 1994 and appropriated funds to establish Radio Free Asia, which started broadcasting two years later and continues to this day. The bill states the station’s goal very clearly, which is to “promote information and ideas and promote the realization of U.S. foreign policy goals,” and the target is mainly mainland China.
After reading this history, everyone should know that the radio station has always been a “political propaganda tool” of the US government, and it can exert its power of intervention when policy needs it. This “propaganda tool” is very different from commercial media in nature, and there is a natural risk of touching national security red lines.
Therefore, Radio Free Asia’s “risk-avoidance” deployment has nothing to do with Hong Kong’s press freedom. The current environment of other normal media (including foreign media) cannot be seen to be any different from the past.
2024-04-01 07:20:47
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