Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said ROC citizens should carefully consider any trips to China, Hong Kong or Macau and do so at their own risks as new immigration regulations have now allowed the authorities to restrict anyone from entering or leaving Hong Kong.
New entry regulations allowing the director of the Immigration Department to restrict anyone from entering or leaving Hong Kong went into effect on Aug. 1. The director can also forbid airlines and transportation companies from carrying specific individuals. Canada recently issued a travel warning telling citizens they may not be allowed to leave Hong Kong if they travel there.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, meanwhile, told citizens their personal safety could be at risk if they travel to China, Hong Kong, or Macau.
Chiu Chui-cheng, Spokesperson, Mainland Affairs Council:” We hope the Hong Kong government can respect the freedom of people to enter and leave [Hong Kong] so that normal exchanges between Hong Kong and the international community will not be damaged. We will continue monitoring the situation to protect the freedom and right of [ROC] citizens to enter and leave Hong Kong.”
A local human rights group says Hong Kong has turned into a giant prison. Former MAC Deputy Minister Alexander Huang says this is a power play by China, and ROC citizens that find themselves barred from leaving Hong Kong might not be able to find help as Taiwan no longer has a representative office in Hong Kong.
Alexander Huang, Assoc. Prof., Grad. Inst. of Int'l Affairs and Strategic Studies, TKU:” Mutual sanctions are a current trend in international relations. These new restrictions could strangle Hong Kong's future development. [Taiwan] no longer has any public power in Hong Kong, which makes resolving any potential issues much more complicated.”
Huang also says resolution mechanisms should be established before they are needed, and these solutions to other cross-strait issues can only be achieved through bilateral dialogue. However, this will depend on political intelligence from leaders on both sides of the strait.
香港8月1日起實施新修訂的入境條例，香港保安局入境處長可限制任何人進出香港，並可要求航空公司或運輸工具不准運載特定人士。加拿大政府近日警告有意前往香港的加拿大公民，可能因此無法離開香港。我國陸委會也提醒國人審慎評估前往中國、香港、與澳門的行程，並留意人身安全的可能危害。
陸委會發言人邱垂正：「我們希望港府在執行相關法律時，要尊重民眾的出入境自由，避免損及國際社會與香港間的正常交流，我們會持續關注香港出入境限制相關的發展以及具體實施的情形，盡力維護國人入出香港的自由與權利。
當地人權團體批評這是把香港變成一個大監獄。曾經擔任陸委會副主委的學者黃介正分析，這政策背後是中國加大對香港的管控力道，但是目前我駐港辦事處在香港不發給新的簽證之下，已經沒有任何人員派駐香港，如果真有我國民眾受到限制，如何營救將是一大問題。
淡江大學國際事務與戰略研究所副教授黃介正：「現在國際社會流行這個相互制裁，藉由這個手段留置境外人士，那麼很可能對香港這個，再進一步扼殺了他未來的發展空間，那麼我們又沒有。公權力的代表在香港，他處理問題就會複雜的更多。」
黃介正強調應該要在問題發生之前，先設法找到解決之道，兩岸之間的問題還是需要透過雙方會談，但這一步要怎麼踏出去，就看兩岸高層的政治智慧。