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Rhetoric or Reality? Britain's Hong Kong Passport Offer Angers China

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON - Britain and China are engaged in a heated dispute over plans
   to make it easier for some Hong Kong residents to emigrate to Britain.

   The British government announced the proposal last month in response to
   China's ongoing attempt to impose a new security law on Hong Kong,
   following violent anti-government protests in 2019. Critics say the
   proposed legislation would make any form of anti-government criticism
   or protest a criminal act, with the potential to be charged with
   terrorism. They fear it could also allow Chinese security agencies to
   set up bases in the city.

   Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, whose 2017 appointment was
   approved by Beijing, said Monday the proposed security law was needed
   in the territory. "The people of Hong Kong want to see stability again.
   They want a safe environment to work and live in," Lam said at a news
   conference in Hong Kong. She described opponents of the security law as
   "enemies of the people."

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