Ireland is being considered as a possible place to develop an “international charter city” in anticipation of a massive exodus of Hong Kong people fleeing China’s grip on their home.
Ivan Ko, a Hong Kong citizen with decades of experience in real estate and property development, has reportedly been searching for places around the world to build a new version of Hong Kong since China implemented his new national security law in the city. The autonomous city would be designed to have its own tax regime and regulations, The UK’s Telegraph reported.
UK DETAIL ROAD TO CITIZENSHIP FOR HONG KONGERS, CHINA MAY FAIL TO RECOGNIZE PASSPORTS
Last week, the British government outlined a new path to UK citizenship for up to 3 million eligible Hong Kong people, starting in January 2021. The change in immigration rules allows anyone with a British national overseas passport and his immediate relatives move to the United Kingdom. to work and study for five years. After that, they will be allowed to apply for settlement status and then citizenship again.
They will not need to have a job before arriving in the UK.
A protester waves a flag during a rally to show support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests at Free Plaza in Taipei on June 13, 2020. (Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP via Getty Images)
Britain announced earlier this month that it will extend the residence rights of some 2.9 million people eligible for the British overseas national passport in Hong Kong, and emphasized that it would maintain its duty to the former British colony after the new one was imposed. law. Australia also promised to grant some 10,000 Hong Kong citizens with student and temporary visas a path to permanent residence.
Although the Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom, the country remains at the top of Ko’s list for an autonomous city, having hosted special economic zones in the past, including the Shannon Free Trade Zone and the International Financial Services Center (IFSC) in Dublin. But the plans have not been finalized, as Ireland remains part of the European Union. In general, European state aid rules prevent members of the bloc from giving aid to companies that are not available to their competitors.
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Although the UK and Australia may have facilitated the relocation of Hong Kong people, it is still too early to know whether there will really be a massive exodus from the city amid uncertainty over the national security law. Immigration consultants reported an increase in inquiries about the possibility of leaving Hong Kong with the promise of more opportunities and a better life, the South China Morning Post reported.
