WATCH: Benedict Rogers' Interview on BBC World News

Benedict Rogers, Chair and Co-Founder of Hong Kong Watch, was interviewed on BBC World News on 31 May 2020.

On the announcement by the UK Foreign Secretary that the UK will offer the path to citizenship to Hong Kong people who have a British National (Overseas) (BNO) passport, Ben said that the announcement is a major breakthrough and it sends a message of reassurance to BNO passport holders that the UK is extending help and support. However there's more that the UK government should do, including working with other governments to offer some sanctuary to activists without access to BNO.

When asked about the implication on Taiwan with what's happening in Hong Kong, Ben said that the One-Country Two-Systems model was conceptualised by Deng Xiaoping with the vision that one day the same model could be offered to Taiwan. But now China has violated the principles of the model and it is over in Hong Kong. The aggression towards Taiwan from Beijing is likely to increase if the international community does not act to stand against Beijing.

On what kind of leverage that the western countries have on China given most of them wouldn't want to jeopardise their trading relationships with China, Ben said that there's a gradual waking up around the world to the danger of Xi Jinping's Communist regime with its aggressive foreign policy. The coronavirus pandemic was in part because of the repression of truth of the virus by China. It is time to have a big rethink on how much we are dependent on China, how much we benefit economically, diversification of supply chains to reduce the over-reliance on China.

WATCH the full interview below: