This organization had wide support among Chinese, and played a key role[5] in uprisings started by revolutionaries, including the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, which overthrew the Qing dynasty.

In July 1940, Winston Churchill declared in Parliament that "We desire to see China's status and integrity preserved, and as was indicated in our Note of 14th January, 1939, we are ready to negotiate with the Chinese Government, after the conclusion of peace, the abolition of extraterritorial rights, the rendition of concessions and the revision of treaties on the basis of reciprocity and equality,[8]" affirming territorial integrity and relinquishment of extraterritorial rights in China.

[11] In January 1941,[12] as the Japanese military advanced in mainland China towards Hong Kong, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill was reluctant to defend the colony, and said that defensive troops should be reduced to a "symbolical scale" there.

[17] Additionally on 9 December 1941, Chiang Kai-shek ordered 3 Nationalist corps, directed by General Yu Hanmou, to head towards Hong Kong.

[21] The British Colonial Office said that "the arrangements existing before the Japanese occupation would not be restored," signaling a potential retrocession of Hong Kong to the Republic of China.

[21] Chiang Kai-shek attempted to put the issue of Hong Kong onto the two parties' agenda, suggesting that the New Territories should be returned to the Republic of China along with the other foreign concessions.

In 1943, the two sides signed the Sino-British New Equal Treaty, with the Republic of China securing the right to raise the issue of Hong Kong and the New Territories on a later occasion;[24] on 11 January 1943,TV Soong sent a note to Horace James Seymour, stating that "the Chinese Government reserve[d] its right to propose [Hong Kong's leased territories] for discussion at a later date.

[25] Before the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt promised Soong Mei-ling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek, that Hong Kong would be restored to Republic of China control.

The United States sent ambassador Patrick Hurley to London in April 1945 and asked that the British return Hong Kong to the Republic of China, to which Winston Churchill said it would only happen "over my dead body.

[27] Additionally, the Nationalist New First Corps under Sun Liren was also less than 300 miles away, and was ordered by Chiang to liberate Canton (Guangzhou); combined, the forces numbered 60,000 soldiers.

After the loss in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Kuomintang-ruled Republic of China government, started by Sun Yat-sen, fled to Taiwan in the Great Retreat.

Both during and after the Chinese Civil War, many people from mainland China, including pro-Kuomintang refugees and former soldiers, fled to both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

[29] The FCRA began setting up a permanent pro-Nationalist, anti-Communist community in Hong Kong, earning Rennie's Mill the nickname "Little Taiwan.

"[33] Shortly after in January 1948, KMT officials entered the area and encouraged residents to resist eviction by the colonial government, eventually leading to riots in the Walled City and student protests in ROC-controlled mainland China, where the British consulate in Canton was looted and set on fire.

[46][47] The same month, the opposition KMT leader, Johnny Chiang, rejected Beijing's offer of one country, two systems (used in Hong Kong) for Taiwan, stating that "We are already used to this kind of lifestyle.

[59] The DPP managed to pull through in the 2020 election to win the presidency and the control of majority of the Legislative Yuan thanks to improvements of the economy, the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests, and China's cross-strait unification plan.

[61] As the DPP aimed for a more independent Taiwan that is less reliant on the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Hong Kong protests became political leverage that helped her gain local and global support and recognition.

[62] Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, expressed in his speech how the two systems policy is the best solution to realizing a "peaceful reunification" of the mainland and Taiwan, just like how Hong Kong, in 1997, and Macau, in 1999, came under PRC control.

[65] Once she gained more support from Taiwanese citizens and people overseas however, she spoke more strongly against the PRC while also promoting her idea of an independent Taiwan, resulting in her win in the 2020 presidential election.

[72][73] Keith Fong Chung-yin, president of the Hong Kong Baptist University Student Union, also echoed Joshua Wong's remarks about the lack of an asylum process in Taiwan and says the DPP has not enacted specific laws to help refugees.

[81] In response to the New York Times video, the Mainland Affairs Council warned protesters to not enter Taiwan illegally, and reiterated the statement that existing laws are sufficient,[82] even though they only cover special cases, such as student, investment, and tourist visas.

[87][88] As of May 2020, despite DPP President Tsai Ing-wen and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu claiming that existing legislation is sufficient, no resident of Hong Kong of Macau has received official assistance from Taiwan under Article 18.

In regards to the failure of the DPP to enact laws regarding this, Chiang also said that "Don't let 'supporting Hong Kong' only be a slogan of empty promises... Bring up your thoughts on legislation.

[91] On 18 June 2020, the plan's details were revealed; a Taiwan-Hong Kong Service and Exchange Office is set to open on 1 July 2020 in Taipei under the THEC, which intends to work with human rights and civil groups to help people with basic living expenses, residency, settlement, employment, and protection issues.

"[91] In late July 2020, 5 people from Hong Kong were found at sea by Taiwan's Coast Guard, drifting towards Pratas Island after their ship had run out of fuel.

[93] On 26 August 2020, 12 people from Hong Kong were found by the mainland Chinese Coast Guard; in both incidents, the passengers are believed to have wanted to flee to Taiwan.

[103] In May 2022, the DPP-led government, announced that it would indefinitely delay plans to allow professionals from Hong Kong and Macau to acquire permanent residency or citizenship in Taiwan, citing fears of potential espionage activity by mainland Chinese.

[104] DPP lawmaker Lo Chih-cheng said that it would be difficult to determine who was a "real" Hong Kong or Macau citizen when compared to "people working for Beijing".

[111] As a result of the war, no direct flights were allowed between Taiwan and mainland China; thus many passengers transferred through Hong Kong until 2003, when the cross-strait charter was created.

Hong Kong and Taiwan invested heavily in education and infrastructure after World War II, causing both economies to significantly improve and be part of the Four Asian Tigers.