HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law says he has been granted political asylum in Britain, where he arrived in July last year after Beijing imposed a major national security law on his city native, which has been heavily criticized by the West.
The move will certainly increase tensions between London and Beijing, as the UK opens its doors to more than five million people in Hong Kong, following controversial security legislation.
“After several interviews in four months, the Home Office informed me that my asylum application was approved,” Law said on Twitter on Wednesday.
“The fact that I am wanted under national security law shows that I am exposed to severe political persecution and I am unlikely to return to Hong Kong without risk.”
Improving sweeteners to attract Hong Kong residents, the UK on Thursday pledged £ 43 million ($ 59 million) to help them find jobs, homes and schools as part of the initiative, enabling millions of relocations.
Britain has accused China of multiple breaches of an agreement that saw the semi-autonomous city handed over to China in 1997. China’s security law and measures to disqualify pro-democracy lawmakers are said to have undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.
Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing say the law is vital to cover the national security defenses exposed by months of often violent protests in 2019. China has repeatedly told Western powers to end the meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs.
Hong Kong has become the fifth largest foreign investor in central London since August last year and prices have risen in some popular districts outside the British capital.
London estimates that more than 300,000 Hong Kong residents could emigrate in the next five years, and Bank of America expects Hong Kong residents to move to the UK could trigger $ 36 billion in capital outflows in 2021.
Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree; Montage by Stephen Coates