“We advise the UK to step back from the brink, abandon their Cold War mentality and colonial mindset, and recognise and respect the fact that Hong Kong has returned.”
The United States and Britain have enraged Beijing with their criticism of planned national security legislation that critics fear would destroy the semi-autonomous city’s limited freedoms.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing had lodged “serious representations” with London over Raab’s remarks, which “grossly interfered” in Hong Kong’s affairs. Hong Kong has been rocked by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests over the past year. But opponents, including many Western nations, fear it will bring mainland-style political oppression to a business hub that was supposedly guaranteed freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after its 1997 handover to China from Britain.
About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold British National passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months.Johnson said Britain could allow BN holders to come for a renewable period of 12 months “and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship”.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam brushed aside international concerns while in Beijing for a meeting with top Chinese officials to discuss the proposed law.
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