A former British colony, Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 as a special administrative region to be governed according to a set of principles that distinguish it from the rest of China. How those principles translate into practice continues to shape the future of the Asian financial center.
Emigration consultants have seen a spike in interest after the Chinese government announced plans for a national security law that critics fear would curtail political freedom.
Hong Kong has become a pawn in the geopolitical confrontation between the US and China. Two pieces of legislation are pulling the city in opposite directions.
Strict measures imposed during the initial outbreak in China – such as quarantines and contact tracing – should prevent a repeat, says the country’s leading adviser. But he recommends large-scale sample tests to be certain.
Holders of British National (Overseas) passports, issued to 300,000 people before Hong Kong ceased to be a British colony, could be given greater residency rights if China enacts a national security law in the city.
The White House must consider how to respond after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that “no reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China.”