Taiwan pulls trade office staff after HK demand

HONG KONG • Taiwan yesterday said seven employees of its trade office in Hong Kong have left the financial hub after the city's authorities demanded that they sign a pledge recognising China's sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

The move comes after both Hong Kong and Macau closed their trade offices in Taipei and as Beijing seeks to pile diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Hong Kong's government had demanded that its trade office staff sign a "one China pledge", which supports Beijing's stance that the island is part of its territory.

Taiwan's democratically elected government views the island as a de facto sovereign state.

"China and Hong Kong government use the 'one China pledge' to set up barriers and affect the rotation of staff and normal operations of our office in Hong Kong," Taiwan's MAC said in a statement. "We firmly reject the irrational political suppression of forcing our staff to sign the 'one China pledge,' and condemn the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over this."

Seven staff members flew out of Hong Kong yesterday, MAC deputy chief Chiu Chui-cheng said. Just one Taiwanese employee is left in the office, although the person's visa runs out next month.

The only remaining members will be local employees.

Mr Chiu said that the pledge Hong Kong demanded staff sign included a promise not to "interfere with Hong Kong's affairs, nor to do or say anything that undermines Hong Kong's stability and prosperity or that embarrasses the Hong Kong government".

The departure of the Taiwanese trade office employees came just days after Hong Kong used a sweeping national security law to arrest top editors and executives of the liberal media icon Apple Daily newspaper.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE