LONDON (dpa-AFX) – Shortly before the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Beijing of breaking its promises to the former British colony. It can no longer be ignored that “Beijing has not been meeting its commitments for some time,” said the conservative politician in a video message published on Thursday. This threatens the freedom and rights of Hong Kongers as well as their prosperity, the premier said.
The former British Crown Colony was handed over to China on July 1, 1997. In a joint statement, Beijing and London had agreed to largely preserve freedoms for the people of Hong Kong under the formula “One country, two systems”. But Beijing gradually eroded human and civil rights. Protests were sometimes brutally suppressed. Two years ago, Beijing stifled the democracy movement in the financial metropolis by introducing a strict security law. Activists are persecuted. Their former leaders are in prison or have fled into exile.
In response to the introduction of the Security Act, London eased visa and residency requirements for Hong Kong people born before the handover. According to Johnson, 120,000 corresponding applications for entry have already been made./cmy/DP/men