UK offers citizenship to Hong Kong residents

@Kyng wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53246899

Up to three million Hong Kong residents are to be offered the chance to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship, Boris Johnson has said.

The PM said Hong Kong's freedoms were being violated by a new security law and those affected would be offered a "route" out of the former UK colony.

About 350,000 UK passport holders, and 2.6 million others eligible, will be able to come to the UK for five years.

And after a further year, they will be able to apply for citizenship.

British National Overseas Passport holders in Hong Kong were granted special status in the 1980s but currently have restricted rights and are only entitled to visa-free access to the UK for six months.

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Glad to see this . China's actions in Hong Kong over the past year have been dreadful - and, given that these people were British subjects until comparatively recently (1997), I think it's only fair that we lend them a helping hand.

Of course, it remains to be seen how many will take us up on our offer - but, I hope a significant number will.

@Kyng wrote:Thanks !

Predictably, China has retaliated against us, warning us against "interference" in the matter:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53307327

Ironic, considering Hong Kong's 1997 deal with China was supposed to stop China from interfering in Hong Kong's affairs for at least 50 years - and we're not even halfway through that...