British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said that he would offer millions of Hong Kongers visas and a possible route to UK citizenship if China persists with its national security legislation for the territory.
“Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life — which China pledged to uphold — is under threat,” he wrote in an article for the Times and the South China Morning Post.
“If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative,” he wrote.
Photo: Reuters
About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold British National Overseas (BNO) passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months, Johnson wrote.
Another 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply for one.
“If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship,” he wrote.
“This would amount to one of the biggest changes to our visa system in history,” he added.
The new legislation was proposed after a wave of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and approved by China’s National People’s Congress as necessary to tackling “terrorism” and “separatism.”
Opponents fear it will lead to political oppression in the territory, eroding freedoms and autonomy supposedly guaranteed in the 1997 handover from Britain to China.
Johnson said the Hong Kong legislation would “curtail its freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy.”
If implemented, “Britain would then have no choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong,” he wrote.
London has already announced plans to extend visa rights to those eligible for BNO passports and joined international condemnation of Beijing.
Yet Johnson’s personal intervention significantly ups the pressure.
“I hope it will not come to this,” he wrote, insisting that “Britain does not seek to prevent China’s rise.”
“It is precisely because we welcome China as a leading member of the world community that we expect it to abide by international agreements,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, British Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab on Tuesday said that he has spoken to “Five Eyes” allies about potentially opening their doors to Hong Kongers if Beijing’s plans to impose national security legislation on the territory sparks an exodus.
In parliament, Raab said that he had reached out to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US about contingency plans if the legislation creates a deluge of Hong Kongers looking to leave.
“I raised it on the Five Eyes call yesterday — the possibility of burden-sharing if we see a mass exodus from Hong Kong,” Raab told lawmakers, referencing the intelligence-sharing alliance between the five countries.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) yesterday said that Beijing would not back down on plans for national security legislation.
Additional reporting by the Guardian and Reuters
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS