Thousands flee Hong Kong for UK, fearing China crackdown

[HostileInsurgent]

Another fake article with no credible to trace the identity.

Why would a successful business woman who owns multiple property in HK still wants to leave? They benefit from the system and made tons of money in HK. Going to UK and uproot themselves is a good way to end their fortune.

Most HKer who wants to leave HK are middle class professional HKer whose living are still decent but not until the extend of rich or very comfortable. They have the professional and education to be eligible for migration. Rich HKer will never want to leave HK. Its here that they make their money.

Good for the Brits. Looks like Capital flight from HK, hopefully, those finance giants shift elsewhere.

We should complete GIFT City early to take advantage of the Hong Kong situation.

 

[aziqbal]

If China wants economic development no one is against them

everyone has right to better life

however now China has started playing a different game

and Chaos in China means millions will die just look at Chinese history

learn from history and do not make stupid mistakes again

 

[Skywalker]

What were they doing? If there are any descendants of Gujarati Jinnah in Pakistan, you can always ask them

I dont know wether they were your fore fathers or not but they were definitly exported as gora sahab cheap labor from endia.

 

[Beast]

Maybe in her mind her future in China sucks...and she is cashing out while she still actually has money...versus waiting and ending up with nothing.

LOL.. China is the future. See how much FDI and American buying up Chinese stock and Elon Musk invested in China.

Which rich idiot decide to uproot and invest in no future Brexit UK from China? Fake article. Try harder....

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

LOL.. China is the future. See how much FDI and American buying up Chinese stock and Elon Musk invested in China.

Which rich idiot decide to uproot and invest in no future Brexit UK from China? Fake article. Try harder....

There are millions of Chinese permanently living overseas. They have their reasons for moving away and never wanting to move back. I doubt FDI is on the top of their list.

 

[SuperStar20]

Hongkongers never tried to answer one simple question: Why mainland Chinese are satisfied with current Chinese government in the mean time HKers believe the CCP is pure evil?

Who are the ones that know CCP's real color? The HKers or mainland Chinese? Why there are completely opposite pictures about CCP between the two groups of poeple? Those HKers who hate CCP must believe mainland Chinese are ignorant people.

We can wait and see who are the brainshed ones. The HKers(Taiwanese) or mainland Chinese

It is very simple, Because no choice ..

 

[Zsari]

Thousands flee Hong Kong for UK, fearing China crackdown

LONDON — Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and…

nypost.com

LONDON — Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and move her family to Britain, and not even a global pandemic was going to sway her decision.

“To uproot ourselves like this is definitely not easy. But things got uglier last year, the government was really driving us away,” said the businesswoman and mother of two young children who didn’t give her family name because she feared repercussions for speaking out against the Chinese government. “Everything we value – freedom of speech, fair elections, liberties – has been eroded. It’s no longer the Hong Kong we knew, it’s no longer somewhere we can call home.”

Cindy, who landed in London last week, is one of thousands of Hong Kongers fleeing their hometown since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the territory last summer.

Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting pro-democracy protests. But many others, like her, say China’s encroachment on their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable, and they want to seek a better future for their children abroad. Most say they don’t plan to ever go back.

Many firmed up their exit plans after Britain announced in July that it would open a special immigration pathway for up to 5 million eligible Hong Kongers to live, work and eventually settle in the U.K.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week the offer shows Britain is honoring its “profound ties of history” with Hong Kong, a former colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 on the understanding that it would retain its Western-style freedoms and much of its political autonomy not seen on mainland China.

Applications for the British National Overseas visa officially open Sunday, though many like Wong have already arrived on British soil to get a head start. Eligible Hong Kongers can currently come to the U.K. for six months, but from Sunday they can apply for the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they can apply for settled status and then British citizenship.

Britain’s government said some 7,000 people with British National Overseas (BNO) status have arrived since July. It estimates that over 300,000 people will take up the offer of extended residency rights in the next five years.

Wong said she wanted to leave as soon as possible because she feared Beijing would soon move to halt the exodus.
View attachment 712182
Protesters hold a British National passport and Hong Kong colonial flag in a shopping mall during a protest against China’s national security legislation in May 2020.Kin Cheung, file/AP

“The Chinese government said it hasn’t ruled out harsher tactics,” she said. “I think they could lash out if tens of thousands of young professionals start leaving, because that would surely upset Hong Kong’s economy and they wouldn’t like that at all.”

Beijing said Friday it will no longer recognize the BNO passport as a travel document or form of identification, and criticized Britain’s citizenship offer as a move that “seriously infringed” on China’s sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the announcement would have because many Hong Kongers carry multiple passports.

Beijing drastically hardened its stance on Hong Kong after massive anti-government protests in 2019 turned violent and plunged the city into a months-long crisis. Since the security law’s enactment, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested, and the movement’s young leaders have either been jailed or fled abroad.

Because the new law broadly defined acts of subversion, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear that expressing any form of political opposition – even posting messages on social media – could land them in trouble.

“I think if you knew when to shut up, you’ll be OK staying in Hong Kong,” said 39-year-old Fan, who also recently arrived in London. Like Wong, he didn’t want to provide his full name. “But I don’t want to do that. I can complain about the queen if I wanted to – I can say anything here.”

Fan, an animator, had sold his flat in Hong Kong and plans to slowly build a new life in Britain – a country he had never even visited before. He won’t be alone in starting from scratch.

“This is a really unique emigration wave – some people haven’t had time to actually visit the country they’re relocating to. Many have no experience of living abroad,” said Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. “And because of the pandemic, they couldn’t even come over to view a home before deciding to buy.”

The British government estimates there are 2.9 million BNO status holders eligible to move to the U.K., with a further 2.3 million eligible dependants. The U.K. introduced BNO passports in the 1980s for people who were a “British dependent territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong.” Until recently, the passports had limited benefits because they did not confer nationality or the right to live and work in Britain.

Cindy, the businesswoman, was still recovering from jetlag, but she’s upbeat about her future.

“We want to bring Hong Kong’s energy, our resources and our finances here,” she said. “The move is for our kids, sure. But we want to build a whole new life here for ourselves too.”

U.K. Expects 300,000 People to Leave Hong Kong, Move to Britain

Only thousands? Gotta be more than that. HK is far too overcrowded. The more the merrier.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

If China wants economic development no one is against them

everyone has right to better life

however now China has started playing a different game

and Chaos in China means millions will die just look at Chinese history

learn from history and do not make stupid mistakes again

There won't be chaos in China, just among enemies of China. We've indeed learned from history: never show mercy to enemies again.

 

[TNT]

This actually helps china, as it will get rid of the protesting people and will take firm control.
By the way, the UK left EU mainly because of immigration and now global britain will be stuffed with millions of hongkongers.

 

[ILC]

Good for the Brits. Looks like Capital flight from HK, hopefully, those finance giants shift elsewhere.

To Shanghai

 

[aziqbal]

There won't be chaos in China, just among enemies of China. We've indeed learned from history: never show mercy to enemies again.

No if unarmed women and children and elderly are your enemy's then your demise is coming fast

why cant China just continue its peaceful development like it has done for last 40 years, why change something which doesnt need fixing?

Xi Jinping is going to waste away Chinas 4 decades of development and the worst Chinese leader since Mao Zedong who killed estimated 85 million Chinese

maybe China has a habit of developing then losing it all?

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

No if unarmed women and children and elderly are your enemy's then your demise is coming fast

Some Chinese PDF members are beginning to sound nuttier than North Koreans. The crazy stuff that comes out of their mouths...everybody unhappy is suddenly an enemy of the state...nice...

 

[H. Dawary]

I’ve said it before and I will say it again... Kashmiris, Kurds, HKers, Palestinians, and Uyghurs are an oppressed people, and If given the choice to separate and have their own states, they would do it in a heartbeat. Everyone here however plays at selective bi-partisan victimization, these hypocrites will recognize the oppression of some peoples, while ignore that of others.

If you are such a hypocrite then I have no respect for you, and I ask that you don’t act like a hypocrite.

 

[waz]

Thousands flee Hong Kong for UK, fearing China crackdown

LONDON — Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and…

nypost.com

LONDON — Cindy had a comfortable lifestyle in Hong Kong: she owned several properties with her husband, they had a good business going. But last year she made up her mind to leave it all behind and move her family to Britain, and not even a global pandemic was going to sway her decision.

“To uproot ourselves like this is definitely not easy. But things got uglier last year, the government was really driving us away,” said the businesswoman and mother of two young children who didn’t give her family name because she feared repercussions for speaking out against the Chinese government. “Everything we value – freedom of speech, fair elections, liberties – has been eroded. It’s no longer the Hong Kong we knew, it’s no longer somewhere we can call home.”

Cindy, who landed in London last week, is one of thousands of Hong Kongers fleeing their hometown since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the territory last summer.

Some are leaving because they fear punishment for supporting pro-democracy protests. But many others, like her, say China’s encroachment on their way of life and civil liberties has become unbearable, and they want to seek a better future for their children abroad. Most say they don’t plan to ever go back.

Many firmed up their exit plans after Britain announced in July that it would open a special immigration pathway for up to 5 million eligible Hong Kongers to live, work and eventually settle in the U.K.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week the offer shows Britain is honoring its “profound ties of history” with Hong Kong, a former colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 on the understanding that it would retain its Western-style freedoms and much of its political autonomy not seen on mainland China.

Applications for the British National Overseas visa officially open Sunday, though many like Wong have already arrived on British soil to get a head start. Eligible Hong Kongers can currently come to the U.K. for six months, but from Sunday they can apply for the right to live and work in the country for five years. After that, they can apply for settled status and then British citizenship.

Britain’s government said some 7,000 people with British National Overseas (BNO) status have arrived since July. It estimates that over 300,000 people will take up the offer of extended residency rights in the next five years.

Wong said she wanted to leave as soon as possible because she feared Beijing would soon move to halt the exodus.
View attachment 712182
Protesters hold a British National passport and Hong Kong colonial flag in a shopping mall during a protest against China’s national security legislation in May 2020.Kin Cheung, file/AP

“The Chinese government said it hasn’t ruled out harsher tactics,” she said. “I think they could lash out if tens of thousands of young professionals start leaving, because that would surely upset Hong Kong’s economy and they wouldn’t like that at all.”

Beijing said Friday it will no longer recognize the BNO passport as a travel document or form of identification, and criticized Britain’s citizenship offer as a move that “seriously infringed” on China’s sovereignty. It was unclear what effect the announcement would have because many Hong Kongers carry multiple passports.

Beijing drastically hardened its stance on Hong Kong after massive anti-government protests in 2019 turned violent and plunged the city into a months-long crisis. Since the security law’s enactment, dozens of pro-democracy activists have been arrested, and the movement’s young leaders have either been jailed or fled abroad.

Because the new law broadly defined acts of subversion, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism, many in Hong Kong fear that expressing any form of political opposition – even posting messages on social media – could land them in trouble.

“I think if you knew when to shut up, you’ll be OK staying in Hong Kong,” said 39-year-old Fan, who also recently arrived in London. Like Wong, he didn’t want to provide his full name. “But I don’t want to do that. I can complain about the queen if I wanted to – I can say anything here.”

Fan, an animator, had sold his flat in Hong Kong and plans to slowly build a new life in Britain – a country he had never even visited before. He won’t be alone in starting from scratch.

“This is a really unique emigration wave – some people haven’t had time to actually visit the country they’re relocating to. Many have no experience of living abroad,” said Miriam Lo, who runs Excelsior UK, a relocation agency. “And because of the pandemic, they couldn’t even come over to view a home before deciding to buy.”

The British government estimates there are 2.9 million BNO status holders eligible to move to the U.K., with a further 2.3 million eligible dependants. The U.K. introduced BNO passports in the 1980s for people who were a “British dependent territories citizen by connection with Hong Kong.” Until recently, the passports had limited benefits because they did not confer nationality or the right to live and work in Britain.

Cindy, the businesswoman, was still recovering from jetlag, but she’s upbeat about her future.

“We want to bring Hong Kong’s energy, our resources and our finances here,” she said. “The move is for our kids, sure. But we want to build a whole new life here for ourselves too.”

U.K. Expects 300,000 People to Leave Hong Kong, Move to Britain

These folks will help our economic potential greatly and will be a fabulous addition to our country, unlike the hordes of useless migrants we got with the EU's open border policy.
This has been more done out of obligations the UK has to the HK people, rather a move to annoy China.
Anyway China wins as they remove the trouble makers, and the bulk of their support, and we win as these folks are highly educated and entrepreneurial.
Generally the British people have welcomed the move. I just hope they don't use the country as some of staging ground for a campaign against the mainland, as I can assure you the welcome will run dry very quick.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

No if unarmed women and children and elderly are your enemy's then your demise is coming fast

why cant China just continue its peaceful development like it has done for last 40 years, why change something which doesnt need fixing?

Where's the waste of development? Uighurs who contribute to society are richly rewarded. Extremists are suppressed. Removal of terrorists, accessories to their actions and their willful supporters is the right and duty of any government. I was very skeptical of Xi when he assumed office, but I slowly changed my mind when I saw his decisive action in securing the prosperity of the Chinese people.