Benedict Rogers and Johnny Patterson: How Can the World Help Hong Kong?

Writing for the Diplomat, Johnny Patterson and Benedict Rogers make the case for an international lifeboat policy.

"The British government has already taken bold steps to this effect. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has committed to offering a pathway to citizenship for up to 3 million Hong Kongers who hold British National (Overseas) passports, if the bill to that effect passes.

It is right that London is taking the lead on this, as the 1997 handover agreement increasingly looks like a historic failure in British foreign policy, peacefully ceding Hong Kong to an authoritarian state. But the British government must not stand alone. No one born since 1997 holds a BNO passport. The irony is that this act of British magnanimity helps everyone except the youthful protesters who have captured the world’s imagination.

As geopolitical tensions between China and the West ratchet up, there is a genuine risk that these brave young people will be the collateral damage in the cycle of nationalist polarization. The banging drum of demagoguery may see Hong Kong’s bright and enterprising people caught in the middle. We must not let that happen.

This is why international coordinated action is sensible. Nations should club together to ensure that there is a lifeline for everyone who needs it. Senators and representatives in the United States have made the call, as have Australian and Canadian parliamentarians. The Taiwanese and Japanese governments are both taking tangible steps. If each of these governments takes steps to legislate for Hong Kong refugees, everyone will have the lifeline that is needed.

Too often through history, refugee policies come after repressive measures are implemented. But the world can see that this national security law will have profound implications and should take the precautionary steps to ensure that an international lifeboat is offered before it is too late."

Benedict Rogers is the Co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch. Johnny Patterson is the Director of Hong Kong Watch. The article was published in The Diplomat on 1 July 2020. (Photo: United Social Press)