The United Kingdom: a land of broken promises

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

The grass is not greener on the other side of the fence as many emigrants have found out. It doesn’t matter which country they plan to settle; the story is the same for most: desperation and hardship.

There have been stories of successes as the Chinese have been known for their tendency to emigrate to every corner of the world. There are Chinese restaurants and market gardens everywhere and many have even been admitted into local legislatures. There are also Hongkongers in academia and various professions taking up key positions in local communities.
But there have also been stories of hardships.

Hong Kong’s population stood at 7.1 million in 2010. Today it is officially 7.4 million and would have been more if there was not a dip of 0.9 per cent in the 2019-20 period when Hong Kong experienced devastating riots and social unrest. Many fled to the US, Canada, Australia and the UK for various reasons including searching of a better life or escaping prosecution for criminal offences relating to the riots. Others left to seek a better life abroad or to follow their loved ones.

Immigration lawyers rose like mushrooms in a damp paddock ready to sap a lucrative market seeking a new home in a far away place. And foreign governments could see the potential of a highly regarded workforce to bolster their economies. It appeared to be an ideal formula of supply and demand. But that was not to be.

Many who fled to the UK in the 2019-21 period arrived at a time when unemployment had reached 4.7 per cent so jobs in the promised land were not available. In fact, many were shunned as noted in a survey that the National Health Service (NHS) was facing severe staff shortages while Hong Kong medical professionals were Uber drivers.

Hongkongers who fled to the UK faced many problems, the greatest being language, followed by financial difficulties due to lack of work or low paying jobs.

The British think tank, British Future and its companion Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers (WC4HK), had carried out a survey among arrivals from Hong Kong and found life in the promised land was not a bed of roses for the newcomers. They found the costs of council tax, energy bills and public transportation unexpectedly high. The useless British National (Overseas)BN(O) passport holders faced financial challenges due to their visa status, including lack of credit history, the NHS surcharge and difficulties accessing their Hong Kong pension.

Most of the participants interviewed by the WC4HK had not achieved a degree to fit with their previous jobs in Hong Kong. It was more common for the new arrivals to be working in both a different sector, and at a lower skilled level. For example an editor is now working as a waitress at events, an insurance accounts manager in a shipping firm is working in a warehouse as a picker and packer, an accountant is now working as a chef and was previously in retail and hotel work, a journalist who searched unsuccessfully for clerical work, is now working as a chef, a primary school teacher is now working in a nursing home, a construction manager is now doing freelance translation work, a marketing manager is now unemployed after working part-time in a beverage shop, a manager in a toy manufacturing company is now working on data input, a civil servant is now working as a security guard in a prison, and a director’s secretary is now working in two cleaning jobs. They are all square pegs in a round hole.

In January 2021, the British, in an effort to entice more Hong Kong people to the UK, introduced special immigration visas available to 5.4 million residents in its former colony. It was a flop!
Some 144,500 Hongkongers took up the new visa offer during the two years after the scheme was introduced. The scheme allowed BN(O) passport holders and their dependents to live and work in the UK for up to five years with the goal towards permanent residency and citizenship.

Adults born after 1997 can also apply on their own if one of their parents is a BN(O) holder.
But the Brits are putting up a brave face. British politician Robert Jenrick said last year when he was Immigration Minister that the policy allowed Hongkongers to “enjoy all the freedoms that we enjoy here [UK].” Actually, they are the very same freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong.

And, unashamedly, he added, “Many Hongkongers have said that living in Britain is like coming home. The UK is proud to have welcomed 144,500 people from Hong Kong since the launch of the new BN(O) visa launch.”

Obviously, Mr Jenrick has not read the report from the Welcoming Committee for Hongkongers on the gripes Hongkongers have about the UK. And a success rate of 2.27 percent of the 5.4 million eligible to take up the offer is hardly something to crow about.

Mark Pinkstone

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

When the “Question of Hong Kong” was raised in the mid-‘70s, Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping came up with the “one country-two systems” concept. The world scoffed at the idea. How could a rip-roaring capitalist regime survive in a communist country?

Forty-one years after the signing of the Joint Declaration (which became the blueprint for Hong Kong’s future) in 1984 between the UK and China, the British government has virtually said that China has kept it’s promise that Hong Kong’s way of life would continue after 1997 as it was beforehand. While not openly applauding Hong Kong’s governance, nor was it openly critical, except for national security issues, the report was fairly balanced.

The 37-page report, a requirement stipulated by the parliament for the UK Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to submit six monthly reports on Hong Kong, could find little fault with the governance of Hong Kong.

The report reflected views of dissident groups without comment and drew attention to the Court of Final Appeal cases in favor of the plaintiffs. This should be seen as proof of a fair and trust-worthy legal system in Hong Kong.

However, it noted that since March 2021, and following the imposition of the 2020 National Security Law (NSL), the UK has declared China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Sino British Joint Declaration. But added: “The judicial system in place prior to the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR continued to be maintained in general. The prosecuting authority in Hong Kong remained within the Department of Justice. The courts continued to exercise independent judicial power, decide cases in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong SAR and refer to precedents in other common law jurisdictions.”

The report was bullish about Hong Kong’s finances, its economy and monetary system, noting the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World 2024 annual report rated Hong Kong as the freest economy out of 165 jurisdictions. It also recognized the positive aspects of Hong Kong’s shipping, civil aviation, education and trade.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy drew attention to the plight of 45 activists imprisoned for sedition, collusion with foreign governments, rioting and other national security charges. And that the trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai was “politically motivated”.

He also lamented on the arrest warrants by Hong Kong police on a number of individuals living in the UK. “The Prime Minister and I have met these individuals and heard about the wider chilling effect that transnational repression is having on the Hong Kong diaspora.” he said.

The issuance of international warrants for arrest are not uncommon. The UK National Criminal Agency (NCA) pleads: “We pursue wanted fugitives all around the world …” It is currently hunting 24 men wanted for various crimes in the UK, adding that there is a bounty out for a Russian national worth US$10 million (HK$78 million).

So, what is Lammy moaning about? He listens to people who have grievances, without checking the backgrounds of the individuals. He forgets Hong Kong was subjected to severe riots in 2019-20 when people were killed, the city was set alight, shops were ransacked and looted, people were threatened and living in fear, and mayhem was the order of the day. And while this was going on, political pundits were going around the world seeking sanctions against Hong Kong and drumming up support for Hong Kong’s independence. People and world leaders get jailed for that. Attempting to overthrow a government is a crime, not political persecution.

The Hong Kong SAR Government is naturally upset about the report saying it absolutely refutes the untruthful remarks, slanders and smears against various aspects of the report, which was compiled by the Hong Kong department in the FCO. Daily reports are submitted to the office by the UK Consulate General in Hong Kong.

Lammy and others in the west, often refer to the “Beijing-imposed” national security laws in Hong Kong as if it is something sinister. It is not! Beijing is the federal capital of Hong Kong, as is London in the UK, Washington in the US and Canberra in Australia. The NSL implementation was a natural reaction to a disastrous situation. Hong Kong was spinning out of control, spurred on by foreign forces, but contained by a very efficient and resourceful police force. Hong Kong needed a legal framework to deal with the dissidents.