CHINA HITS BACK AT U.K. OVER CITIZENSHIP OFFER.
Angered by offer of visas for 3M residents
China accused Britain of a “colonial mentality” after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to let up to three million Hong Kongers into the United Kingdom if Beijing proceeds with a controversial national security law.
Johnson had said that Britain could not “shrug our shoulders and walk away” if the Chinese Communist Party imposes a law designed to crush dissent in the former colony.
Zhao Lijian, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, issued a rebuke to Britain Wednesday saying it had “recklessly commented” and “made groundless accusations to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.”
Johnson appealed directly to residents of Hong Kong in an article published in the city’s English newspaper, the South China Morning Post.
Under the proposed visa reform, he said every one of the three million Hong Kongers eligible for British National Overseas status would be granted the right to relocate to the U.K. for a renewable period of 12 months.
“This would amount to one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history,” Johnson wrote.
Beijing’s rubber-stamp parliament last week approved a security law that will tighten its control of Hong Kong by criminalizing separatism, subversion, terrorism, foreign interference and “acts” that threaten national security.
Western nations and legal experts say this will end Hong Kong’s special autonomy and railroad the “one country, two systems” principle behind the legally binding joint declaration. Hong Kong activists fear the sweeping law, which is yet to be fleshed out, will be used to put a stop to the pro-democracy protests in the Asian financial hub.
Efforts to intensify pressure on China continued Wednesday, with the heads of the foreign affairs committees in the British, New Zealand, Australian and Canadian parliaments urging Antonio Guterres, head of the United Nations, to appoint a special envoy to safeguard human rights in Hong Kong. The joint open letter asks the Secretary General to work with national leaders to push the UN Security Council to approve a mandate for an envoy.
China’s legislation would effectively bypass Hong Kong’s parliament, the legislative council. Carrie Lam, the city’s embattled chief executive, told state media ahead of a visit to Beijing: “I felt at ease after the decision was made.” But she added: “As chief executive, I have to confess it is almost impossible to have the national security legislation enacted by the local legislative council in the near future.”