Liz Truss to continue UK’s hawkish stance towards Hong Kong authorities, analysts say
- But scholars also predict London will not launch any new measures targeting Hong Kong or its ministers, with UK to focus on domestic front
- British pathway to citizenship scheme for Hongkongers likely to continue under Truss as means of pressuring Beijing, one adds
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to maintain her country’s hawkish stance towards the Hong Kong government, political analysts have said, with a special UK citizenship path for migrants from the city likely to continue.
But scholars on Tuesday also predicted that London would not launch any new measures targeting Hong Kong or its ministers, as the leader would be focused on soaring energy prices and living costs at home. On the international front, Truss was also expected to prioritise support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, they said.
Ting Wang-leung, a political lecturer at the University of Reading, said such concerns would take up the new leader’s time rather than ones relating to mainland China or Hong Kong, adding she was unlikely to have the means to drum up support for further diplomatic actions against the city.
“In the short or medium run, there just aren’t going to be a lot of changes in terms of [Britain’s] stance on China,” said Ting, who specialises in Hong Kong politics. “The priority on China is going to be low.”
The prime minister’s victory speech on Monday did not mention Hong Kong or Beijing, and instead laid out policies on the domestic front.