As China cracks down on democracy in Hong Kong by imposing draconian laws, as per a report on dailymail, China is now sending its spies to the United Kingdom to take advantage of the new visa scheme designed to help residents who are escaping the Communist regime.

More than 34,000 applications have been received for the British National (Overseas), or BNO, visa since it was introduced in January, and among the thousands of applicants, China is trying to send sleeper agents and place informers and people who will steal security secrets in open societies.

However, there are stringent background checks for the applications and the vetting process for the BNO visa scheme is more thorough than any other.’

Lord Patten, who was the last governor of Hong Kong, told the paper, “We are dealing with a totalitarian state which uses informers,”.

Reacting to the crackdown on democratic protesters, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said, “We will not look the other way on Hong Kong, and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people,”.

Successful applicants from Hong Kong will be able to stay in the UK for up to five years, and after that period will be able to settle in the UK indefinitely. The UK government has also lowered the new visa application to £250 for five years, but migrants will have to pay the NHS immigration health surcharge which costs £400 per person per year, or £300 a year for students.

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After the United States called for an immediate online UN Security Council meeting to discuss and debate the draconian national security law for Hong Kong, China has extended reconciliatory messages to India.

Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong told select Indian media that, “China and India should never let their differences shadow the overall bilateral ties and must enhance mutual trust.”

“China and India should be good neighbours of harmonious coexistence and good partners to move forward hand in hand. The realisation of ‘Dragon and Elephant dancing together’ is the only right choice for China and India, which serves the fundamental interests of our two countries and two peoples,” the Chinese envoy added.

BIG BREAKING @ians_india: China extends olive branch to India after the US offers to “arbitrate” and at the same time, seeks an immediate discussion at the UN Security Council on China’s new legislation against Hong Kong, citing threat to international peace and security.

— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) May 28, 2020

After weeks of talks held between senior generals and diplomats of India and China over the standoff in East Ladakh, China has still not deescalated in this region and the threat of conflict still looms large. There is growing concern that if armed conflict breaks out, it might not be limited to just one theatre as the borders with Pakistan are not that far from this place.

Indian and Chinese soldiers are still facing each other at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) apart from the unrelenting damage caused that the Wuhan virus has caused to the country.

After the US requested for an immediate online UN Security Council meeting to discuss how China’s new legislation is crushing the dissent in Hong Kong, an angry and isolated China has called this move a direct interference into its internal matters.

China’s Ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun tweeted that “Beijing categorically rejects the baseless request of the US for a Security Council meeting” and “legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China’s internal affairs”.

The US has called the new national security law proposed by the Communist regime in Beijing, “a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council”.

President Donald Trump who has a habit of wading into international issues has sent Beijing into a tizzy when he tweeted that “Washington was willing to mediate or arbitrate in the “raging border dispute”.

This comes right after what some see as his diplomatic victory in the Middle East when the United Arab Emirates and Israel decided to recognise each other as nations and have established diplomatic relations.

Even though China has sent a reconciliatory message to India, however, it must be taken with a pinch of salt because China has a habit of going back in its words as it continues to build its military capabilities in the LAC. Just last week, reports emerged of Chinese PLA soldiers desecrating Mount Kailash and Mansarovar by building hotels and campls along with placing of surface to air missiles.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that “now the China-India border area situation is overall stable and controllable”. What this means is China does not want any discussion on Hong Kong but it will keep escalating tensions with most of its neighbours.

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New Zealand followed suit with its counterparts and suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong citing the new developments caused by the Security Law.

“China’s passage of its new national security legislation has eroded rule-of-law principles, undermined the ‘one country, two systems’ framework that underpins Hong Kong’s unique status, and gone against commitments China made to the international community,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Tuesday in Wellington. “New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent of China.”

New Zealand might have strained relations with China henceforth, which is currently its largest trading partner. Irrespective of that, it has chosen to follow the footsteps of its other Five Eyes allies, namely Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, along with the United States. The US is in a diplomatic row with China, that is getting worse with every passing day.

China’s New Security Law for Hong Kong, that cracks down on Hong Kong citizens has drawn contempt from all over the world. In this regard, New Zealand has taken strict measures to update travel advice towards its citizens who are to travel there. It is also touted to treat its exports to Hong Kong the way it treats its exports to China.

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the government has withdrawn its extradition treaty with Hong Kong.

This decision was made in view of the establishment of the National Security Law by China.

He said that visas will be extended by five years for “skilled and graduate” visa holders from Hong Kong along with permanent residency at the end of those five years.

Students who already have a temporary graduate visa will be eligible for an extension of five years along with the time they have already been in.

Students studying at a regional campus will continue to access the pathway to permanent residency after three years.

He also announced that new incentives will be developed to bring export-oriented Hong Kong-based businesses to relocate to Australia. In addition, their staff will have access to permanent visa pathways. This will be done via the Global Talent and Business Innovation and Investments Program.

Concerning temporary skilled visas, these visa holders who hail from Hong Kong and are in Australia currently will be eligible for an additional five years in the country, also with access to permanent residency at the end of the five-year term.

Future applicants for temporary skilled visas will be eligible or the same if they meet a list of criteria.

They need to meet occupational skills lists and Labour Market Testing requirements; or qualify via the Global Talent visa scheme. However, the latter is for exceptional talent where the sponsoring employer pays above $153,600 (Fair Work High Income Threshold).

Currently, there are about 10,000 skilled and graduate temporary student visa holders in Australia.

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TikTok, a Chinese-based short form video app owned by ByteDance is planning to exit from Hong Kong’s app platforms following the announcement of China’s controversial National Security Law. 

A TikTok spokesman said that the app will stop its operations in Hong Kong due to the recent security law implemented in the region.

TikTok has also said previously that it would not comply with any requests made by the Chinese government to censor content or for access to TikTok’s user data, nor has it ever been asked to do so.

According to sources, the decision was made because there was no clarity if Hong Kong would be under Beijing’s jurisdiction in the light of the new law.

United States Secretary of States Mike Pompeo says the US is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps including TikTok.

Following TikTok’s announcement, Facebook, Twitter, and Zoom have also suspended data requests from Hong Kong.

A spokesman for Zoom said the company “supports the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas”.

TikTok’s decision displays the dilemma Chinese companies face in an attempt to “internationalise,” said an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Source: Reuters

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China implemented its new security law for Hong Kong on the 30^th of June. Following this, all the suspects that were arrested under the jurisdiction of the new security office could possibly be tried in mainland China. This new piece of information has started striking terror in the hearts of the citizens of Hong Kong.

This comes as a result of Article 55 of the new security law, which states that Beijing could exercise its power over complex or serious cases. This also bans violators of the law from contesting in elections and greater oversight of non-government organizations and news houses.

Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover in 1997, the city’s embattled leader Carrie Lam said the law was the most important development since the city’s return to Beijing.

“It is also an inevitable and prompt decision to restore stability in the society,” Lam said at the same harbor-front venue where 23 years ago the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, a staunch critic of the security law, tearfully handed back Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

After a long-drawn series of protests and opposition, The authorities have come out and said that this legislation is only aimed at “troublemakers” and will not affect the common public or their freedom, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

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Beijing in an attempt to undermine the protests happening in Hong Kong has said that activists are brainwashing students to fight for democracy.

A local media in Taiwan recently quoted an article published by China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office where the spokesperson had accused Demosisto, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy political party of brainwashing and manipulating students to protest against China’s national security law. He also blamed the schools for deviating from “one country two systems” policy.

Alan Leong, the Chairman of the Civic Party said that the Chinese Communist Party was looking for scapegoat for the agitation in Hong Kong. He said “it [China] blames the education system, foreign interference, and Hong Kong independence but it will never lame itself”.

Zhang Xiaoming, the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, had said on June 8 that the new national security to be imposed on Hong Kong will be like “installing anti-virus software”. The security law allows for mainland security agents to establish themselves in Hong Kong. This is the first of its kind development in the Hong Kong region. It is feared that it will undermine the “one country two systems” principle and running counter to the Sino-British joint declaration. The declaration was signed in 1984 by Beijing and Britain where the two governments agreed that China would take control of Hong Kong from 1997 with city-state retaining a high degree of autonomy.

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Zhang Xiaoming, the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said on Monday that the new national security to law to be imposed on Hong Kong will be like installing anti-virus software.

“Once in force, this law will be like installing anti-virus software into Hong Kong, with ‘One Country, Two Systems’ running more safely, smoothly and enduringly,” Mr. Zhang said during a speech warning that the democracy protestors ‘had gone too far’.

He said that the opposition camp radical separatists have been mistaking the central government’s restraint and forbearance for weakness and timidity. “They have gone too far.”, he said.

He said that the law “would target only an extremely small number of people”.

The security law allows for mainland security agents to establish themselves in Hong Kong. This is the first of its kind development in the Hong Kong region.

Mr. Zhang dismissed “rumours” that they might make arrests and send suspects to the mainland.

“National security organisations have to follow the laws strictly when they are handling cases in mainland China, how is it possible for them to become unconstrained in Hong Kong?” he said.

The semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong saw violent protests that began in June 2019 in response to a bill that allowed extraditions to mainland China. The bill was then withdrawn by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam. However, the protests have gradually gone on to include demands for democracy.

Beijing has maintained the movement is a ploy by foreign powers to destabilise mainland China.

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While the attention of the world has been towards the US over the death of George Floyd and the ensuing mayhem unleashed by the far-left group Antifa, protests in Hong Kong have taken a violent turn where a 14 year old boy protesting against Beijing’s move to pass the National Anthem Bill was reported to have been brutally murdered by the Chinese police in Hong Kong.

In a video shared on Twitter by Research Wing, a private research and diplomacy group working for global peace and human rights, a young boy can be seen being pinned down to the road by Chinese police with one of them pressing the boy’s head to the street violently and placing the knees on the boy’s face and neck. Lying in a pool of blood, the boy can be heard groaning and crying as the police tie his hands. The incident has a stark similarity to how George Floyd, who was reportedly suspected of passing counterfeit bills at an eatery in Minneapolis died at the hands of the police.

The video shared by the handle carried a caption that said “#Communists across the world are asking people to protest against police brutality in their respective states. Will the protests for #PoliceBrutality in #HongKong where a 14 year old school boy brutally murdered by #CCP”, blaming the Communist Party of China for the violence. It carried the hashtag #FreeHongKong and #CCP_is_terrorist.

#Communists across the World are asking people to protest against police brutality in their respective states.

Will they protest for #PoliceBrutality in #HongKong were a 14 year old school boy brutality murdered by #CCP.#FreeHongKong#CCP_is_terrorist pic.twitter.com/8GpC6RAipH

— Research Wing (@ResearchWing) June 1, 2020

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After a largely peaceful public holiday on last Friday, protestors in Hong Kong held demonstrations against China in which the Hong Kong police resorted to using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. As the fear of pandemic wanes away, Hong Kong has started witnessing small demonstrations in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, China warned Hong Kong that it would not tolerate them “stirring up trouble again”.

“We noticed that the black violent forces slowed down a little when faced with the Hong Kong epidemic, but now they are stirring up trouble again.” State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, China’s top body overseeing Hong Kong said in a statement.

While China has been upset with the usage of the term “Wuhan Virus” or “Chinese Virus”, the statement referred the made-in-China virus and its ensuing epidemic as “Hong Kong epidemic”.

The body also said that “the central government will not sit idly and watch these insane and wantonly destructive forces” and added that the protestors wanted to “drag Hong Kong off a cliff”.

The semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong saw violent protests that began in June 2019 in response to a bill that allowed extraditions to mainland China. The courts in mainland China are controlled by the Communist Party. The bill was then withdrawn by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam. However, the protests have gradually gone on to include demands for democracy.

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