Despite the increasing number of COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to find time to write about Hong Kong since the beginning of June. He published earlier an article on the UK government's official website and declared that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's success was the result of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by its citizens. He went on to confirm that the HKSAR was able to flourish under “one country, two systems” and its Basic Law.

However, once the compliments and pleasantries were over, Johnson began to declare that the National People’s Congress’s move to introduce a national security law in Hong Kong would “curtail its freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy”. He stated, referring to the British National (Overseas) passport: “If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules and allow any holder of these passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship”. Johnson then went on to lecture Beijing that he still hopes it will “remember that responsibilities go hand in glove with strength and leadership”.

This impromptu declaration was quite a departure from what was declared by the British government in the Memoranda of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which clearly states that “all persons who on 30 June 1997 are, by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong, British Dependent Territories Citizens (BDTCs) under the law in force in the United Kingdom will cease to be BDTCs with effect from 1 July 1997, but will be eligible to retain an appropriate status which, without conferring the right of abode in the United Kingdom, will entitle them to continue to use passports issued by the Government of the United Kingdom.”

One must not forget that Britain and the US, together with Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are all members of the so-called Five Eyes group, an intelligence alliance that Pompeo would be extremely familiar with. It is therefore not surprising that he would continue to put pressure on other members of the group in order to coordinate joint retaliation measures toward Beijing for introducing the National Security Law in Hong Kong

The prime minister concluded his piece by stating that the UK has “raised its grave concerns about Hong Kong in the UN security council” and “will continue to do so in international fora”. He also alleged that Beijing was “casting doubt over the Joint Declaration”.

Unfortunately, his article has confirmed that he is the one who is in breach of the Joint Declaration and not China.

The Chinese Memorandum in the Joint Declaration, on the other hand, was extremely clear and specific as it clearly stated that “under the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China, all Hong Kong Chinese compatriots, whether they are holders of the ‘British Dependent Territories Citizens’ Passport’ or not, are Chinese nationals.”

Two months later, Johnson and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabb had been busy ramping up their idea of allowing Hong Kong's BN(O) passport holders to come to the UK and eventually to settle after six years if they are qualified. United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in London briefly in July to outline his vision for a “global coalition to counter China”. He went on to accuse China’s leadership of “exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to further its own interests”. It was further reported that when he met with Johnson and Raab, he urged the UK to be tougher on China and publicly praised Britain for “standing up” to Beijing.

Perhaps Pompeo forgot that he is now the secretary of state and no longer the chief of the CIA.

Pompeo's visit to Britain was well-rewarded, since just before his arrival in the UK, Britain extended its arms embargo against China, suspended its extradition arrangement with Hong Kong and banned Huawei's involvement in UK's 5G network — all in one day!

One must not forget that Britain and the US, together with Canada, Australia and New Zealand, are all members of the so-called Five Eyes group, an intelligence alliance that Pompeo would be extremely familiar with. It is therefore not surprising that he would continue to put pressure on other members of the group in order to coordinate joint retaliation measures toward Beijing for introducing the National Security Law in Hong Kong.

In the meantime, one would caution HKSAR residents who are contemplating Britain’s latest offer of a “path to citizenship” — one with a hidden agenda. 

The author is the first-ever Chinese British citizen to be elected mayor of the London Borough of Redbridge (2009-10) and served as a member of the Borough Council for 12 years.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.