China says law – which will bypass Hong Kong’s legislature – is necessary to fight “terrorism”
Hong Kong:
China warned Britain on Wednesday that any interference in Hong Kong would backfire after the former colonial power vowed to give refuge to residents who could flee the city if a controversial security law were passed.
The United States and Britain have enraged Beijing by criticizing the national security bill, which critics say will destroy the limited freedoms of the semi-autonomous city.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab further angered Beijing by suggesting that he had time to “reconsider” the plan, which may soon be adopted after the proposal was approved by the Chinese parliament. last week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, said that London would not “move away” from Hong Kongers worried about Beijing’s control over the center of international affairs.
Johnson wrote in a column for The Times and the South China Morning Post that he would offer millions of visas to Hong Kong and a possible route to British citizenship if China persisted with its national security law.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing had made “serious representations” to London over Raab’s remarks, which “severely disrupted” Hong Kong affairs.
“We advise the UK to step back, let go of its Cold War mentality and colonial mindset, and recognize and respect the return of Hong Kong” to China, said Zhao during a briefing regular.
Zhao said that London must “immediately stop interfering in the affairs of Hong Kong and the internal affairs of China, otherwise it will undoubtedly turn around.”
Hong Kong has been rocked by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in the past year.
In response, Beijing announced plans to introduce a comprehensive national security law covering secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference.
China says the law – which will bypass Hong Kong’s legislature – is necessary to fight “terrorism” and “separatism” in a turbulent city which it now considers a direct threat to national security.
But opponents, including many Western countries, fear it would bring continental-style political oppression to a business center that would have been guaranteed freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after its 1997 handover of the Britain to China.
Raab said in parliament on Tuesday that he had contacted Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada regarding emergency plans if the law caused a deluge of Hong Kong nationals seeking to leave.
“I mentioned it yesterday when calling Five Eyes – the possibility of burden sharing if we see a massive exodus from Hong Kong,” Raab told lawmakers, referring to the sharing alliance. intelligence between the five powers.
“Path to citizenship”
In his column, Johnson wrote that if China proceeds to justify the “fears” of the Hong Kongers, “then Britain could not in all conscience shrug their shoulders and leave; instead, we will respect our obligations and will suggest an alternative. “
About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold a UK national passport (overseas), which allows visa-free access to Britain for up to six months.
An additional 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply.
Johnson said Britain could allow holders of BN (O) to come for a renewable period of 12 months “and to be granted new immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place on the path of citizenship. “
Britain says it considers bill a violation of 1984 Peking agreement before transfer guaranteeing Hong Kong’s freedoms and level of autonomy – an agreement that formed the basis for its rise as a world class financial center.
But Zhao said the Sino-British agreement “does not contain a single word or clause that gives the UK responsibility for Hong Kong after its transfer.”
Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam dismissed international concerns while in Beijing for a meeting with senior Chinese officials to discuss the bill.
“The international community and some foreign governments have adopted blatant double standards … by commenting on this issue,” said Lam.
“It is the legitimate competence of any country to adopt laws to protect and safeguard national security. The United States is no exception, the United Kingdom is no exception.”
Lam added that experts and representatives from various sectors of Hong Kong society would be invited to discuss their views at seminars held by the central government on the continent.
Political tensions are increasing again in Hong Kong.
The city’s pro-Beijing legislature is expected to pass a law Thursday that would criminalize insults to the Chinese national anthem.
The vote would fall one day when the Hong Kongers will also mark the anniversary of the Beijing crackdown in 1989 in Tiananmen, despite city officials banning the traditional annual watch due to the coronavirus.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
