millions of hong kong residents are
getting the chance to become
british citizens the uk is offering a
special new visa
after china imposed a security law and
crackdown on the territory's
pro-democracy movement
hong kong was a british colony until its
return to china in 1997
and the uk says the scheme fulfills a
moral and historical commitment to the
city's residents
for its part china has called the visa
offer a
gross violation of its sovereignty
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let's bring in dw correspondent phoebe
phoebe kong who's standing by in hong
kong hello to you phoebe so
how are people reacting to the uk visa
scheme in hong kong are many
hong kongers likely to go ahead and take
advantage of it
well a new vienna citizenship scheme is
definitely
another easier path for hong kongers who
want to leave the country
or leave the territory because of the
current political climate
which is worsening day by day
here on the ground and like according to
the
figures that over 5 million
hong kong citizens are eligible for
applying for the new scheme to move to
the uk
which accounts for over 70 percent of
the population in hong kong
so um although not every of them will
move the uk and take action to take the
offer
but um according to uk's uh estimation
in the next five years over 250
000 people were actually take to offer
and
emigrate to the united kingdom
um so we're talking about a significant
number and it will
bring a significant effect to hong kong
it's not only the people leaving but
also
the capital talents and the professions
that they will bring with them to the uk
and leave hong kong so um
it's not only the protesters and
activists politicians that are leaving
these people they may seek political
asylum in the uk but now we're talking
about the ordinary
citizens which accounts for the majority
of the populations and the peaceful
protesters
that they will take the offer and at
least considering to do so because
they are not happy with the current
situation in hong kong
especially after protests and the
aftermath the uh
the implementation of the national
security which makes
many of the people feel unsafe in hong
kong and the freedoms that are being
chipped away
so most of them they would be the middle
class and education
educated and professional talents that
will consider to take the offer from the
uk
and phoebe what's been china's response
to all this
can we expect some sort of retaliatory
measure against the uk
over this visa scheme
now so far china has already stopped
recognized the
bno passport within its territory both
in mainland china and also hong kong
authorities has already
followed suits so um all hong kong
residents
cannot board the flight or to leave the
territory
with a vienna passport but they can
still leave the border with the hong
kong passport or the hong kong
identification document so this is the
first step of retaliation as china has
already claimed a possibility of further
retaliation
although um up to now it's new and clear
what how it works like for the um aft uh
of like how how will they follow up and
take other actions but there has been
rumors
underground in hong kong that many
probation politicians are now suggesting
to the beijing authority
to consider uh to revoke the civil
rights of the hong kong citizens who
emigrated to the uk with a vienna
passport so um
we can expect there may be a few more
steps to retaliate to the uk's offer and
to um to tell hong kong residents that
they may face consequences
if they take the offer from the former
colony
all right phoebe kong reporting for us
from hong kong
thank you so much