Thursday, May 28, 2020

Hong Kong Security Plan Is Approved, Tightening China's Hold



The move, they said, “raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people.” The countries pointedly accused China of breaking the legal promises it had made to Britain in order to reclaim Hong Kong.
Dominic Raab, the British foreign secretary, said in a video statement Thursday that if China followed through with its plan, Britain would make it easier for British nationals who were Hong Kong residents before the handover, and now hold British national overseas passports, to become British citizens.
Britain would “set in train arrangements which allow them to come to the U.K. for longer than the current six-month period and to apply for extendable periods of 12 months to work and study,” Mr. Raab said, “which itself will provide a pathway to citizenship.”
Mr. Lau said that if the United States took strong action, it would only reinforce Beijing’s concerns that foreign powers were using the city to undermine China’s national security. American measures may prompt the Standing Committee to write even more stringent legislation this summer, he added.
“If they push hard,” Mr. Lau said, “it may change for the worse rather than the better.”

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