On Thursday, Robert Tsao stepped into the flashbulbs of photojournalists, wearing a bulletproof vest. At his press conference in downtown Taipei, the already graying businessman had an urgent message ready for his compatriots: „China is anxious to attack Taiwan,“ said the 75-year-old, who at one point was one of the island’s richest residents with a personal fortune of $2.7 billion: „However, I will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to turn Taiwan into a second Hong Kong. That is my promise to you.“