Australia yesterday offered pathways to permanent residency for thousands of people from Hong Kong in response to China’s crackdown on dissent, drawing a furious reply from Beijing.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his government was suspending its extradition agreement with the territory and, in addition to extending the visas of 10,000 Hong Kongers already in the country, threw open the door to thousands more wanting to start a new life in Australia.
The decisions were taken in response to China’s imposition last week of new security legislation in Hong Kong, Morrison said, adding that it “constitutes a fundamental change of circumstances” for the territory.
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“Australia is adjusting its laws, our sovereign laws, our sovereign immigration program, things that we have responsibility for and jurisdiction over, to reflect the changes that we’re seeing take place there,” he told a news conference.
Beijing shot back, condemning the Australian announcements as breaches of “fundamental principles of international relations.”
“China... reserves the right to take further reactions, all consequences will be borne by Australia,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said. “Any attempts to suppress China will never succeed.”
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said that China’s moves in Hong Kong were discussed earlier yesterday with Australia’s so-called “Five Eyes” security partners: New Zealand, the US, Britain and Canada.
China has bristled at widespread global criticism of the legislation.
New Zealand is also reviewing its relationship with Hong Kong because of the new legislation, New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said yesterday, “including extradition arrangements, controls on exports of strategic goods and travel advice.”
Canada has also suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, while the British government has offered more than 3 million Hong Kongers a broader path to citizenship.
Morrison brushed aside questions about whether the challenge over Hong Kong would likely lead to further Chinese retaliation.
“We will make decisions about what’s in our interests, and we will make decisions about our laws and our advisories, and we will do that rationally and soberly and consistently,” he said.
Under the new measures, 10,000 Hong Kong citizens and residents in Australia on student or temporary work visas would be allowed to remain in the country for an additional five years.
“If you’re a temporary visa holder, your visa will be extended to an additional five years from today, in addition to the time you’ve already been in Australia, with a pathway to permanent residency at the end of that period,” Morrison said.
The five-year visa and possible permanent residency were also offered to Hong Kong entrepreneurs or skilled workers who wish to relocate to Australia.
“If there are businesses that wish to relocate to Australia, creating jobs, bringing investment, creating opportunities for Australia, then we will be very proactive in seeking to encourage that,” he said.
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