House of Commons Would Admit 50,000 Hong Kong Families
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LONDON — The House of Commons approved legislation Thursday to allow 50,000 heads of households from Hong Kong and their families to enter Britain when the colony is handed back to China in 1997.
Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd has said he wants key people to remain in Hong Kong after Chinese rule. He says the best way to achieve that is to guarantee them a British passport so they know they can always leave.
Hong Kong activists charge that the plan merely provides an escape route for powerful people should Chinese rule prove unpalatable and will do nothing to reassure the bulk of the colony’s 5.5 million residents.
Some members of the Conservative Party fought their government’s proposal, saying it would flood Britain with Hong Kong refugees.
The House passed the bill by a voice vote, sending it to the House of Lords, which can approve the bill, amend it with the Commons’ approval or reject it. Rejection, which is unusual, would probably result in the government’s trying to reintroduce the proposal.
In Beijing, the Chinese government reiterated its objection to the plan.
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