A critical examination of the political considerations regarding the admission and reception of China Mainlanders: The case of Hong Kong and Taiwan

In the light of the apparent differences in political inclinations between China Mainland immigrants (or Mainlanders) and the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan, those who want to defend a restrictive policy on the admission and reception of Mainlanders by Hong Kong and Taiwan may appeal to two impartial political considerations: (1) the communitarian defence of preserving the distinctive liberal democratic culture of one's community; and (2) the need for democratic consolidation. However, various survey results suggest that the differences in political outlook between Mainlanders and other Chinese in Hong Kong and Taiwan, though significant, were not substantial enough to warrant a general rejection of China Mainland immigrants out of defence of a liberal democratic community. And the concern over democratic consolidation is not necessarily in favour of a policy rejecting Mainlanders because a more inclusive democracy which allows the participation and potential contribution of China Mainland immigrants is also an option. Copyright © 2014 City University of Hong Kong.