Reuters and staff reporterTaiwan will step up scrutiny of mainland Chinese with Hong Kong residency who seek to move to the island in a bid to counter spying or other illegal acts. The decision comes as 3,883 Hongkongers moved to Taiwan in the first half of this year -- an 88 percent jump from over one year ago. Taiwan has welcome Hongkongers after Beijing imposed the national security law on the SAR despite concerns over of espionage. The term "united front" refers to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front work department, which is in charge of coopting overseas Chinese and non-communists. The order targets Hong Kong and Macau residents who are originally from the mainland China, or who are current or previous party, government or military officials.

Source: The Standard August 17, 2020 19:07 UTC