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Boris Johnson vows historic overhaul of visa system to accommodate Hongkongers under national security law
- Prime minister says if Beijing acts, Britain will have ‘no choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong’
- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab lobbies Five Eyes allies to ‘share burden’ of possible Hong Kong exodus
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised Hongkongers “one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history” if Beijing pushes through the national security law, he wrote in an op-ed published in the South China Morning Post and The Times of London on Wednesday.
In his first direct message to the former British colony amid the recent political furore, Johnson acknowledged that “many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life … is under threat” since the National People’s Congress proposed the law last month.
“If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative,” Johnson said.
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“Britain would … have no choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong.”
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Boris Johnson vows to change visa system for Hongkongers under national security law
Boris Johnson vows to change visa system for Hongkongers under national security law
Under the new British government plan – which will be put in place when Beijing formally enacts the law – every one of the 3 million Hongkongers who qualify for a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents could relocate to the United Kingdom to stay and work or study for extendable periods of 12 months, creating a path to citizenship.
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