National Post (National Edition)
China tries to motivate Canadians to quit Hong Kong.
Beijing's announcement that it will no longer recognize the British national (overseas) passport as a valid travel document will send chills through Chinese-Canadians living in Hong Kong.
But the broader context is a delicate political game over the future of millions of Hong Kongers who hold dual nationality. At least one Chinese-Canadian has already been caught up in the political intrigue.
As the National Post reported on Wednesday, the Canadian government is growing concerned about the rights of the 300,000 or so Canadian citizens in the territory.
“Canada is aware of the Hong Kong government's decision to require dual nationals to declare the nationality they wish to legally maintain while in Hong Kong,” said spokesperson, John Babcock. He said Canada has expressed its concern to the Hong Kong government about the possible loss of consular services for Canadians who are detained. Emily Mo, director the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto, said that the Post article is “factually incorrect,” pointing out that matters relating to nationality have been dealt with in accordance with rules that have been in place since the handover from Britain to the Chinese in 1997.
But there is evidence the policy is being pursued more rigorously.
Under the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, dual nationality is not legally recognized in Hong Kong and local authorities may refuse to grant consular access to detained dual nationals who declare themselves as Chinese nationals.
The Canadian government received a first indication of a Canadian dual-national prisoner in Hong Kong being required to make such a declaration on Jan. 18, said Christelle Chartrand, a spokesperson for Global Affairs. “We are aware of more such incidences involving dual national of other countries,” she said.
Canada has expressed its concern to the Hong Kong government and is seeking additional information from local authorities on any changes to the treatment of dual nationals.
On Friday, China's foreign ministry said that the British plan to offer up to 5.4 million Hong Kong residents a path to citizenship “grossly interferes” in the territory's affairs and it will no longer accept the British national (overseas) passport as a form of identification.
Beijing's move creates uncertainty over an application process that is set to start on Sunday. Following the introduction of a sweeping new national security law in Hong Kong last year, Britain had said BN (O) passport holders are eligible to live and work in the U.K. for five years before applying for citizenship.
Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said it is clear that the Chinese government is executing “a doctrine of stable instability,” where the goal is to motivate dual nationals to leave without attracting global condemnation.
He said he has had a “flurry” of communication from Chinese Canadians in Hong Kong since the Post article appeared. He has brought together a group of lawyers to co-ordinate what he calls Operation Document Park, to enable prospective migrants to deposit the documents they might need to immigrate to Canada.
“This is a strategy of depopulation of western-minded individuals that is being executed with a surgeon's precision,” he said.
He estimates a “bleed-out” of 40,000 Hong Kongers a year — migrants who would be replaced by mainland Chinese citizens.
He said the delicate part of the manoeuvre from Beijing's point of view is to pressure people to leave without crashing the property market, in which many members of the Communist Party's leadership are heavily invested.
“I'm not advising people to get out. Until bullets are flying in the streets, there is no urgency. But I am advising people to prepare to get out by filling in their documents, just in case,” he said.
In a written reply to a question by Conservative foreign affairs critic, Michael Chong, Ottawa revealed it has contingency plans in place to ensure the safe return of Chinese Canadians from Hong Kong but said the specifics are classified. At the same time, the government said its assessment is that the likelihood of an event triggering a mass departure of Canadians from Hong Kong is “very low.”
That evaluation offers little relief to Canadian citizens of Chinese descent who are living in Hong Kong.
One activist, who called himself Jason Cheung to protect his real identity because of fear of reprisal, said he constantly feels threatened. “Some times it has got too close for comfort,” he said.
The majority of young Hong Kongers remain pro-democracy, he said. “The idea that people here are going to identify as Chinese is horribly laughable,” he said.
But the government is trying to stamp out that sentiment by introducing mainland Chinese culture. He said there is a crackdown on freedom of expression online and new statutes that make insulting the Chinese national anthem punishable with jail time. Meanwhile, Chinese history with more “patriotic” themes has been introduced into the local curriculum.
“Life for the new generation is going to suffer,” said Cheung.
He holds a Canadian passport and said the Trudeau government needs to offer more support to citizens in Hong Kong.
“I don't feel safe or that the government would do much for us. The Trudeau government needs to prove to Canadians how they are going to stand up to China,” he said.
A STRATEGY OF DEPOPULATION OF WESTERN MINDED INDIVIDUALS.