U.K. Willing To Admit Nearly 3 Million From Hong Kong If China Adopts Security Law

[ripcord]

Source: NPR

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that he would be willing to allow more than 2.8 million people from Hong Kong to live and work in the U.K. if China implements a controversial proposed national security law on the former British colony.

The law could take effect as soon as this month, and would expand mainland China's control over Hong Kong.

If China were to implement the law, Johnson wrote, Britain is prepared to take in around 350,000 people from Hong Kong who already have British National (Overseas) passports and 2.5 million who would be eligible to apply for them.

He also noted that the U.K. would be making "one of the biggest changes in our visa system in history." It would allow Hong Kongers with these passports to come to the U.K. for a renewable period of a year. The current system allows them to come without a visa for up to six months.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/03/868859749/u-k-willing-to-admit-nearly-3-million-from-hong-kong-if-china-adopts-security-la

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China is not going to be happy.

[AlexSFCA]

1. great decision!

[mwooldri]

2. I pretty much agree here.

As far as the UK is concerned, they had a deal with China where Hong Kong gets to govern itself for 50 years after handover in 1996. It's not 2046 yet, and China is IMO rewriting the rules. The UK can't really do anything in Hong Kong itself, so the only thing it can do is give the citizens of Hong Kong who have some ties to the colonial era HK the right to live and work in the UK. I don't expect 3 million people to leave HK and go to the UK but it is something. From what I remember at the time of handover there were Brits worried about an influx of people from Hong Kong, so the citizens of Hong Kong could only get British National Overseas status - British but no right to live and work in the UK. IMO should have been given full British citizenship in the first place, but times do change.

[roamer65]

7. 1 July 1997 was the handover.

The U.K., Canada and Australia will take them.

A lot of Hong Kongers have either U.K., Canadian or Australian documents.

The Chinese Communists will try to stop the exodus.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Brain Drain and Capital Flight

grabbing what you can after Brexit isolation.

"China is not going to be happy."???

What about the isolationist Brits who voted for Brexit in the first place?

[Dopers_Greed]

4. With China being chosen to build the UK's 5G network

I wonder how long until China tries to claim that they own the UK.

[Ford_Prefect]

5. So much for the Brexiteer howls about immigration, or does that only apply to the EU?

I understand the "special relationship" between Hong Kong and the UK. Family friends have lived there for considerable time. They left for Singapore and London the last time China bellowed about too much free speech in Hong Kong.

Donny Twinkle-Toes being in charge here does not help at all.

[RussBLib]

6. shit, there are only 7.5 million people in Hong Kong

...and the Brits would take in almost 40% of them?!

I wonder how many Trump would be willing to take in?

[ripcord]

8. This whole thing relies in the British National Overseas passport

3 million people were eligible for the passports but only 250k applied, the UK is granting the other 2.5 million the chance to immigrate.

[onetexan]

9. Many fled to Canada, US & europe in '97 anticipating

The total takeover by China. This is good news the British are extending their welcome of refuge for these poor people.