UK says China's security law is serious violation of Hong Kong treaty

[snoop1130]

UK says China's security law is serious violation of Hong Kong treaty

By William James

 

Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab makes a statement on Hong Kong's national security legislation in London, Britain, July 1, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom said China's imposition of a security law on Hong Kong was a "clear and serious" violation of the 1984 Joint Declaration and that London would offer around 3 million residents of the former colony a path to British citizenship.

 

Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested nearly 200 people as protesters took to the streets in defiance of sweeping security legislation introduced by China that they say is aimed at snuffing out dissent.

 

"The enactment and imposition of this national security law constitute a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration," Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament on Wednesday.

 

Johnson said Britain would stand by its pledge to give British National Overseas (BNO) passport-holders in Hong Kong a path to British citizenship, allowing them to settle in the United Kingdom.

 

Almost 3 million Hong Kong residents are eligible for the passport. There were 349,881 holders of the passports as of February.

 

Hong Kong's autonomy was guaranteed under the "one country, two systems" agreement enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed by then Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

 

Hong Kong was handed back to China on July 1, 1997, after more than 150 years of British rule - imposed after Britain defeated China in the First Opium War. China had never recognised the "unequal treaties" allowing Britain's rule of Hong Kong island, the Kowloon peninsula and later its lease of the rural New Territories.

 

HONG KONG ROW

 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain had carefully assessed China's national security legislation since it was published late on Tuesday.

 

"It constitutes a clear violation of the autonomy of Hong Kong, and a direct threat to the freedoms of its people, and therefore I'm afraid to say it is a clear and serious violation of the Joint Declaration treaty between the United Kingdom and China," Raab told Reuters and the BBC.

 

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few "troublemakers" and will not affect rights and freedoms, nor investor interests.

 

Raab said he would set out shortly the action Britain would take with its international partners.

 

"China, through this national security legislation, is not living up to its promises to the people of Hong Kong," Raab said. "We will live up to our promises."

 

Asked about how the West should deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Raab said:

 

"Obviously, China is a leading member of the international community. And it is precisely because of that, that we expect it to live up to its international obligations and its international responsibilities. For trust in China's ability to do that, today has been a big step backwards."

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-01

 

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[samran]

Come on Boris. Time to man up and give those eligible BN(O) passport holders full residency and work rights in the UK. 

[samran]

1 hour ago, samran said:

Come on Boris. Time to man up and give those eligible BN(O) passport holders full residency and work rights in the UK. 

Seems I spoke too soon.

 

Well done PM.

 

Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-53246899?at_campaign=64&at_custom1=[post+type]&at_medium=custom7&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_custom4=BE7201C4-BBA2-11EA-817D-F8393A982C1E&at_custom3=BBC+News

[Orton Rd]

Not a violation, they just tore the treaty up, the CCP cannot be trusted

[Dumbastheycome]

This  is an intriguing situation. The UK  condemns the legitimate "owners" of  a territory for  introducing  security  legislation. The USA  is dismantling  protocols  that were back door  access  to involvement in trade  that due  to sanctions were  closed off  at the  front  door.

Who is  leaning  on who really?

But  I hope  good  luck and  best wishes  for those  that  take up the supposed opportunity to  bolt  to the UK. Their employment  chances  are.........? Or  is the  attraction of  Hong Kong $ preferential the  key ?

 

I wonder if we will ever  get introduced to  the  Conductor  of this  strange  orchestral?

[brucec64]

19 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

This  is an intriguing situation. The UK  condemns the legitimate "owners" of  a territory for  introducing  security  legislation. The USA  is dismantling  protocols  that were back door  access  to involvement in trade  that due  to sanctions were  closed off  at the  front  door.

Who is  leaning  on who really?

But  I hope  good  luck and  best wishes  for those  that  take up the supposed opportunity to  bolt  to the UK. Their employment  chances  are.........? Or  is the  attraction of  Hong Kong $ preferential the  key ?

 

I wonder if we will ever  get introduced to  the  Conductor  of this  strange  orchestral?

Take the time to actually understand the issue and then it won't seem like a conspiracy.

 

There was a treaty between UK and China. It is supposed to go until 2047. China has broken the treaty.  That is where the UK condemnation comes from.

 

US granted Hong Kong special status based on the UK-China agreement. China broke the agreement and now HK does not have special status anymore.

 

All out in the open. No "Conduktor". China is taking advantage of Covid and disarray in US politics to flex it's muscles and these are reactions from the US and the UK.

 

 

 

[yuyiinthesky]

The people of Hong Kong obviously want to keep their freedom. Easy to understand. Who wouldn't? They show what makes humans humans, they have lost already, cannot win, but they don't give up. Admirable! And that is what gives them a tiny chance to win, if we all support them.

 

The people of Hong Kong and they alone should decide about their future. 
 

#standWithHongKong

[GinBoy2]

17 minutes ago, yuyiinthesky said:

The people of Hong Kong obviously want to keep their freedom. Easy to understand. Who wouldn't? They show what makes humans humans, they have lost already, cannot win, but they don't give up. Admirable! And that is what gives them a tiny chance to win, if we all support them.

 

The people of Hong Kong and they alone should decide about their future. 
 

#standWithHongKong

I think I'm going to repeat much of what I said in a previous thread.

 

I'm very happy that the UK is, finally, offering BNO's full UK residency.

They should have done it in 1997, pity it took a Beijing crackdown to make the UK do the right thing!

 

Trouble is they is really little support the outside world can give HK, other than to give Hong Kongers a way out.

 

I was flabbergasted when I read in a previous thread where a posters accused the US of 'throwing Hong Kong under the bus' after Pompeo announced the removal of special treatment to HK, which was based on the autonomy enshrined in the handover agreement, which Beijing seems perfectly fine to tear up!

 

In Congress there are currently several bipartisan bills which would give special refugee status to Hong Kongers similar to the refugee status given to students after Tiananmen.

Similar efforts are going on in Taiwan, while tiptoeing around antagonizing Beijing.

 

So I think we are seeing support as much as we can. The US can impose some sanctions, as ineffectual as I fear they will be.

But the UK can't do anything for fear of retaliation, and the EU will just do what they always do, waffle

 

 

[tifino]

this'll be too latefor all those arrested since a few days ago

 - may soon be British citizens, in a CCP Gulag

[samran]

43 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I think I'm going to repeat much of what I said in a previous thread.

 

I'm very happy that the UK is, finally, offering BNO's full UK residency.

They should have done it in 1997, pity it took a Beijing crackdown to make the UK do the right thing!

 

Trouble is they is really little support the outside world can give HK, other than to give Hong Kongers a way out.

 

I was flabbergasted when I read in a previous thread where a posters accused the US of 'throwing Hong Kong under the bus' after Pompeo announced the removal of special treatment to HK, which was based on the autonomy enshrined in the handover agreement, which Beijing seems perfectly fine to tear up!

 

In Congress there are currently several bipartisan bills which would give special refugee status to Hong Kongers similar to the refugee status given to students after Tiananmen.

Similar efforts are going on in Taiwan, while tiptoeing around antagonizing Beijing.

 

So I think we are seeing support as much as we can. The US can impose some sanctions, as ineffectual as I fear they will be.

But the UK can't do anything for fear of retaliation, and the EU will just do what they always do, waffle

 

 

I was one of the people who have said the current US administration has thrown HK under the bus. 
 

Trump has paid little or no attention to human rights or civil liberties, even In his own countries. Bolton has said that trump essentially didn’t care if the CCP went ahead with the internment camps in western China. 
 

Dictators see this lack of spine as license as a way to push the boundaries, which they have. They didn’t even need to think twice on it. 

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, samran said:

I was one of the people who have said the current US administration has thrown HK under the bus. 
 

Trump has paid little or no attention to human rights or civil liberties, even In his own countries. Bolton has said that trump essentially didn’t care if the CCP went ahead with the internment camps in western China. 
 

Dictators see this lack of spine as license as a way to push the boundaries, which they have. They didn’t even need to think twice on it. 

I'm not going to defend Trump's nonsense, but you do understand thats the job of Congress, not POTUS. Congress  passed the 'Uigher Human Rights Act', 413-1, and was then approved in the Senate which placed sanctions on China.

 

I haven't seen any other country doing anything else than use waffling words

[Enoon]

 

China definitely does not want a war with the West, and is only behaving like it is because it knows the West will not start one.

 

If Sun Tzu was advising the West, he would tell it that this was precisely the time to attack.

 

 

[tonbridgebrit]

7 hours ago, brucec64 said:

Take the time to actually understand the issue and then it won't seem like a conspiracy.

 

The poster was not trying to say that it is a conspiracy. Is it okay if you yourself use a bit of time to understand the issue ?

Okay, Britain has offered about 3 million Hong Kong Chinese the right to live and work in Britain. But I think we need to get real here, there's no way Britain is going to allow 3 million people to do this. It's just not going to happen.

So, why make the offer, in front of the media ? It's being done to make the Beijing government look bad. It's being done to antagonise Beijing. It's part of the PR (public relations) war, a PR campaign to make China look bad.

[tonbridgebrit]

Telling the media that 3 million Hong Kong Chinese might be allowed to live and work in Britain might be a dangerous PR stunt. The Beijing government might respond by having an attitude of "So you want to give 3 million Chinese the right to live and work in Britain, well, we (China) can give you an extra 10 million Chinese if you're willing to take them" .      ????

 

[tribalfusion001]

15 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

The poster was not trying to say that it is a conspiracy. Is it okay if you yourself use a bit of time to understand the issue ?

Okay, Britain has offered about 3 million Hong Kong Chinese the right to live and work in Britain. But I think we need to get real here, there's no way Britain is going to allow 3 million people to do this. It's just not going to happen.

So, why make the offer, in front of the media ? It's being done to make the Beijing government look bad. It's being done to antagonise Beijing. It's part of the PR (public relations) war, a PR campaign to make China look bad.

Too late now they have offered a lifeline, maybe that's why Boris wants to build more houses and roads. China could even revoke Chinese citizenship to them.

[simple1]

6 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I'm not going to defend Trump's nonsense, but you do understand thats the job of Congress, not POTUS. Congress  passed the 'Uigher Human Rights Act', 413-1, and was then approved in the Senate which placed sanctions on China.

 

I haven't seen any other country doing anything else than use waffling words

Uigher Human Rights Act is a 'nothing burger'

 

The bill authorizes the imposition of U.S. sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for the detention and persecution of Uyghurs,, plus some restrictions on technology transfers

 

https://thediplomat.com/2020/06/trump-signs-uyghur-human-rights-act-into-law/

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, yuyiinthesky said:

The people of Hong Kong obviously want to keep their freedom. Easy to understand. Who wouldn't? They show what makes humans humans, they have lost already, cannot win, but they don't give up. Admirable! And that is what gives them a tiny chance to win, if we all support them.

 

The people of Hong Kong and they alone should decide about their future. 
 

#standWithHongKong

China doesn't care what the UK demands and they certainly don't care about any individual's opinion.

 

[animalmagic]

1 hour ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Too late now they have offered a lifeline, maybe that's why Boris wants to build more houses and roads. China could even revoke Chinese citizenship to them.

It is quite possible that China could demand that people surrender their BNO status passports or leave; their 'interpretation' of the National Security Law may permit that  By doing so they get rid of those not showing loyalty to the CCP, a good result for China.  Any persons leaving HK on BNO status can simply be replaced by an increase in the number of One Way Permits, which is basically China's permission to 'emigrate' to Hong Kong.  Currently the daily quota is 150 per day, slightly under 55,000 per annum.  Approximately 800,000 have entered since the handover and a further 1.5 million could do so if the rate was maintained until 2047.  Occupation by repopulation?

The right to a BNO passport was only granted up until 30th June 1997 which means that everybody is over 23 years old; many protesters (the ones that China would like to get rid of) are below this age.

Interesting that anyone born in 1992 would, realistically, have little or no knowledge or experience of living under British rule which means that the vast majority of protesters have lived only under CCP rule but still yearn for the old days of British rule.  The majority of these do not have BNO passports and cannot leave.

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Telling the media that 3 million Hong Kong Chinese might be allowed to live and work in Britain might be a dangerous PR stunt. The Beijing government might respond by having an attitude of "So you want to give 3 million Chinese the right to live and work in Britain, well, we (China) can give you an extra 10 million Chinese if you're willing to take them" .      ????

 

The CCP can respond to this however they like, but why would the UK be willing to take 10 million mainland Chinese? Thanks to Brexit, as a sovereign nation again we can do what we want . I would support the decision to assist an appropriate number of people from Hong Kong though. 

 

Hopefully this disgraceful behaviour by the CCP is enough to get Huawei excluded from any UK tech deals as well. They should be considered a Pariah nation by all civilized countries.

[animalmagic]

9 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The UK  condemns the legitimate "owners" of  a territory for  introducing  security  legislation.

You may 'own' a territory, but can you 'own' a population?

[Geoffggi]

10 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Not a violation, they just tore the treaty up, the CCP cannot be trusted

I hope Thailand is taking note........!!!!

[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

I hope Thailand is taking note........!!!!

LOL. Are you aware of the heritage of many Hi so Thais?

[Pedrogaz]

Grow up UK. You lost HK in 1997. After 147 years of colonial rule HK was not a democracy but run by a governor appointed in the UK with dictatorial powers. You kettles and pots and all that. It really is a bit rich to be all for democracy now isn't it? Hypocrites. 

Well Dominic Raab, let's see what Britain looks like with 3 million new citizens, that the Tories let in. I promise you it will not go down well with the electorate no matter how many lies you tell.

[goldenbrwn1]

3 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Telling the media that 3 million Hong Kong Chinese might be allowed to live and work in Britain might be a dangerous PR stunt. The Beijing government might respond by having an attitude of "So you want to give 3 million Chinese the right to live and work in Britain, well, we (China) can give you an extra 10 million Chinese if you're willing to take them" .      ????

 

Take em all. You see the state of what comes here legally and mostly not legally. Making 10 plus kids and causing all sorts of <deleted> over the years. When have Chinese expats caused any county or government a problem. They appreciate it. Then hopefully the argument of we need more Immigration from certain nauseating parts of the government or elsewhere will stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[goldenbrwn1]

7 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

Grow up UK. You lost HK in 1997. After 147 years of colonial rule HK was not a democracy but run by a governor appointed in the UK with dictatorial powers. You kettles and pots and all that. It really is a bit rich to be all for democracy now isn't it? Hypocrites. 

Well Dominic Raab, let's see what Britain looks like with 3 million new citizens, that the Tories let in. I promise you it will not go down well with the electorate no matter how many lies you tell.

Rather take 20 million from Hong Kong than 20,000 from the usual places.

[JonnyF]

57 minutes ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

Rather take 20 million from Hong Kong than 20,000 from the usual places.

Indeed. Hong Kong citizens would be a massive improvement to the dregs that have been washing up on the beaches in the last decade. Hard working, innovative people are always welcome.

 

I never believed the Project Fear nonsense about huge labour shortages in the UK post Brexit, but if it were to happen I think I might see a solution ????.

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

The poster was not trying to say that it is a conspiracy. Is it okay if you yourself use a bit of time to understand the issue ?

Okay, Britain has offered about 3 million Hong Kong Chinese the right to live and work in Britain. But I think we need to get real here, there's no way Britain is going to allow 3 million people to do this. It's just not going to happen.

So, why make the offer, in front of the media ? It's being done to make the Beijing government look bad. It's being done to antagonise Beijing. It's part of the PR (public relations) war, a PR campaign to make China look bad.

 

I was a regular business visitor to HK in the 90's. Most of the business contacts, owners and senior managers, were all looking at establishing second homes, citizenship, outside of HK. Australia and Canada were popular choices. The UK not so much.  

 

All these people were putting their escape routes in place with many actually planning to move their families over as soon as they could. 

 

None trusted the CCP and all thought it was only a matter of time before they tore up the agreement with the UK.

 

Poorer working class people couldn't afford to do this. And I seriously doubt many older, middle aged, working class would contemplate moving their lives to the UK. 

 

So the offer is probably based on that thinking. 

[simple1]

1 hour ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

When have Chinese expats caused any county or government a problem.

Here in Australia some wealthier Chinese 'expats' have caused problems with corrupting politics and business, though it wouldn't be unique to the Chinese. Given the anticipated numbers should H.K. Chinese take up HMG's offer I would expect there to be vigorous security vetting and matching skills to the current and anticipated future economic environment. Additionally I assume it's questionable whether PRC will now permit H.K. applicants to transfer their assets offshore. However, good on HMG if they can successfully integrate the H.K. Chinese migrants.

[Geoffggi]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. Are you aware of the heritage of many Hi so Thais?

I am indeed the Taksin clan for starters...........!!!!!

[natway09]

Anyone with half a brain knew this was coming as I have posted many times on here.

Beijing .was only going to put up with so much rioting by the proffessional "mobs" who are not

even sure what the full consequences are.

The average HK resident just wants to open his business & get on with making a living,

If the UK takes in Hong Kong Nationals & gives them citizenship they will end up with

all the "stirrers" not the good ones