U.K.'s Boris Johnson tells China that Britain will admit 3 Million from Hong Kong
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
LONDON — The United Kingdom will not walk away from the people of Hong Kong if China imposes a national security law which conflicts with Beijing's international obligations under a 1984 accord, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
"Hong Kong succeeds because its people are free," Johnson wrote in The Times of London. "If China proceeds, this would be in direct conflict with its obligations under the joint declaration, a legally binding treaty registered with the United Nations."
China’s parliament last week approved a decision to create laws for Hong Kong to curb sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. Mainland security and intelligence agents may be stationed in the city for the first time.
"Many people in Hong Kong fear that their way of life — which China pledged to uphold — is under threat," Johnson said.
"If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honor our obligations and provide an alternative," he added.
Johnson repeated Britain's pledge to give British National Overseas passport-holders in Hong Kong a path to British citizenship - allowing them to settle in the United Kingdom.
There are about 350,000 holders of BNO passports in Hong Kong and another 2.5 million are eligible for them, Johnson said.
The newspaper said that Britain's National Security Council agreed on Tuesday to "rebalance" Britain's relationship with China.
Britain on Tuesday warned Beijing to step back from the brink over the national security law in Hong Kong, saying it risked destroying one of the jewels of Asia's economy while ruining the reputation of China.
Reuters
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The rest of the Anglosphere (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States should do likewise and set the welcome mat out to take in all Hong Kong residents that the U.K. hasn’t covered for.
Do not all those countries have National Security laws? What is "Homeland Security"?
In any event, I wonder if China considers Johnson's offer to be a benefit rather than a detriment - a way to get rid of those who are not happy living in Hong Kong.
a govt dept ran by our people. not china, and not canada ey... LOL
seems some people in hong kong don't want to be governed by china...
easy to understand why. - total disdain for communism is not uncommon.
I was thinking the same thing.
Hard to see this as a "Threat".
Hong Kong was doing just fine and the people were happy until the Chinese Communist Government took over; which now wants to take away the freedoms of the peaceful people who live there.
Shouldn't the people of Hong Kong have the same freedoms that we have here in the US, as does our neighbor to the North....Canada.
What have been the benefits, if any, of mainland China's rule of Hong Kong for the last 23 years?
Yes, they should have a national security law or laws just like the USA and Canada have. The National Security Law Isn't aimed at the many "peaceful people who live there", it's aimed at the rioters and vandals who are there. Surely Americans don't condone those who damage private and public property and cause harm to innocent people - those who are doing that to discredit the peaceful protesters in the USA these days, so why should the governing body of Hong Kong?
I didn't think mainland China "ruled" Hong Kong, at least not for another 27 years.
Let me ask YOU a question. If HK was "given back" to China 23 years ago, why were there no protests until a couple of years ago - what changed?
If I have to explain it to ya, Buzz, you haven't been paying attention or prefer to remain willfully ignorant. Haven't the idiot Chi-comms learned anything since the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Have the Hong Kong protests been violent?
I asked about Hong Kong, not about mainland China, so perhaps it's not ME who is either not paying attention or prefer to remain willfully ignorant. For the 14 years I've been here, the only discontent I've noticed on the mainland has been that of the Uygher separatists. Generally, the people seem to be quite happy and civilized.
I have already lived in three cities and have been welcomed in all of them, and I did at first have a work visa, but now I have passed the age for foreigners to be allowed to work. As a foreigner I would have to get a "green card" but I'm not qualified for it. Doesn't matter, I'm retired at the age of 83.
Oh, I don't HAVE to say I'm happy. Nobody is holding a gun to my head. I'm quite happy. Frankly, I'd MUCH rather be here than in the USA these days. But hey, I'm not trying to make you guys who are on the attack about my being here criticizing you for living in the USA, especially considering the chaos going on there these days.
Well yes, I am not a Chinese citizen nor can I ever become one but am here on a renewable visa, so I don't have all the privileges that a Chinese citizen has. But then is that different than any other country?
Let me try again. Although there is a Hukou (home town registration) system that is consistently being modernized, they enjoy many freedoms to move about, can change jobs, get better housing and more of the perks of life, AND IN FACT AS I HAVE SAID AT LEAST TWICE ALREADY I DO NOT HAVE ALL THE FREEDOMS THAT A CHINESE CITIZEN HAS. And NO, they are NOT considered robots relegated to whatever the government thinks they deserve. They can choose, they own cars, they can work wherever there is a job available (which explains why there are so many migrant workers), and they can live anywhere they have a job.
Are you clear on this yet?
In 1997 with the handover to China thousands of Hong Kong Chinese took up residence in Canada. Vancouver has a huge HK Chinese population.
As far as the ''Anglosphere'' (that's funny) taking in HK residents I would imagine that they would have to ask for asylum and currently the Administration is cutting that back severely.
What if Singapore took some or Taiwan or Thailand or the Philippines took them in.
Ten percent of Toronto's population is Chinese. Many ultra-rich Hong Kong citizens moved there, and some live in Toronto's most exclusive mansion area. My son attended a private high school for a couple of years and made friends with a Chinese student who lived in that area. I once went to pick him up at his home and waited in a front hall I think my whole house could have fit into.
Hopefully we will see a mass exodus as they flee the tyrannical communist that rot the soul of a nation as Churchill said. I hope they can escape before they have to risk their lives to defect.
Funny thing, Dean, is that I know I haven't lost my sense of smell, and things that rot usually smell pretty bad, but neither I nor anyone I know here think the soul of China smells, but then I'm not so afraid of Communism that I would hate it as much as your comments indicate.
I wonder how the regular British Citizen feels about 3,000,000 more people arriving?
The three million are or are eligible to be U.K. citizens.
They LOVE immigrants there. You only have to read the news about how much more privilege they are allowed than others.
I am not an immigrant, nor am I nor will I ever be a citizen. I am no more that a foreigner with a renewable visa that permits me to be here to be able to visit with family - my wife, who IS a citizen here. And let me be perfectly clear - I do NOT have all the privileges of a Chinese citizen. When I first came here, I had a visa that allowed me to work here - I was considered a "Foreign Expert", but due to my advanced age I am no longer permitted a work visa. At my age, the only foreigners permitted to work here would be ones like CEOs of industries or high-ranking professors in universities or persons with special and needed skills of high value to the government.
Allow me to clarify for you. There = the UK. Here = China. (Although the context itself should have made that obvious)
Good. People actually helping people is appropriate.
Agreed.