Nancy Pelosi just announced she's stepping down, and Trump's calling it a national blessing. The "evil woman” is gone, he says—clapping his hands together. I rarely agree with Trump's bombast, but on this? He's dead right. Hong Kong has paid the price for Pelosi's meddling for decades. She orchestrated chaos from both center stage and the shadows during every major upheaval. Her partnership with Anson Chan ran especially deep, making Pelosi Chan's critical Washington operative. Dig into Regina Ip's past interviews about government insiders, and you'll find these two women's connection stretches back three decades—before the Handover even happened.
Anson Chan and Martin Lee met Pelosi in Washington, 2014—four months before Occupy chaos erupted.
The Pattern Repeats Itself
Pelosi dominated the Democratic Party's core leadership for years. When Democrats held the House majority, she became Speaker—and she knew how to work the system. Her power was undeniable. She spent decades interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs, cultivating relationships with opposition figures. Her bond with Anson Chan stood out: secret communications that later turned into open endorsements.
Check Chan's movements before Occupy Central and the 2019 anti-extradition law protests. The same pattern emerges twice: Chan led pan-democratic members to Washington, meeting Pelosi each time. In April 2014, as Occupy Central was about to erupt and government confrontation loomed, Chan and Martin Lee flew to Washington. They met Vice President Biden and held closed-door talks with Pelosi. Leaked reports afterward confirmed Pelosi urged the opposition to confront Beijing for "greater freedom." Four months later, the 79-day Occupy chaos began.
Five years later, in March 2019, as Hong Kong's anti-extradition law turmoil was building, Chan returned to Washington with Dennis Kwok and Charles Mok. Once again, she met Pelosi to discuss Hong Kong's situation in detail. Pelosi was House Speaker then, and she didn't mince words: Beijing was intensifying its interference in Hong Kong affairs, and Democrats were more committed than ever to supporting Hong Kong people's fight for democratic universal suffrage. The color revolution blueprint was already unfolding.
Patten's Parting Gift
Pelosi's special meetings with Chan before both major Hong Kong upheavals raise questions. The timing isn't coincidental—it reveals their relationship ran far deeper than public appearances suggested. In an interview years ago where Regina Ip shared government insider details, she disclosed that Chan and Pelosi's connection began before the Handover.
Last Governor Chris Patten aggressively promoted Chan to Chief Secretary and deliberately paved her way into American political circles. When Hong Kong needed to lobby Washington to maintain Most Favored Nation status, Patten specifically designated Chan to lead the effort. He arranged through the British embassy in Washington for her to befriend the capital's power brokers. That's when she met Pelosi.
According to Ip, when Pelosi later visited Hong Kong, Chan specifically invited her to a dinner gathering at the Chief Secretary's official residence on Victoria Peak. Born the same year and sharing similar viewpoints, they clicked immediately. Ip, then acting Secretary for Trade and Industry, was present that day and witnessed the two women gazing out at Victoria Harbour over afternoon tea. Pelosi clearly showed deep affection for Chan, and from that moment, they developed a lasting relationship.
2019: Pelosi backed Chan's power grab before calling street violence "a beautiful sight to behold."
The Orchestrator Exits
When Chan suddenly retired early and left the government in 2001, the pan-democrats hailed her as their "common leader." Leveraging her Pelosi connection, she established a direct channel between the opposition and American political circles. By 2019, when Hong Kong erupted in black violence chaos, Pelosi openly supported violent resistance, bizarrely calling the street vandalism and arson "a beautiful sight to behold." Her evil intentions were fully exposed.
Now this "evil woman" has finally stepped off the stage, and Chan has lost her last patron in American politics. The era these two women represented has ended—something Hong Kong should absolutely celebrate.
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
London just dropped a classic good news, bad news bombshell on Hong Kong BNO holders.
The headline grabber? The path to permanent residency remains a five-year trek—the so-called "5+1" deal is safe. But here is the kicker: to actually cross the finish line, applicants must now survive a gauntlet of "extra spicy" new conditions. We are talking tougher English tests, strict income floors, and proof of continuous tax payments.
Think of it as a mouthful of sugar followed by a shot of hot chili. The anxiety on the ground is palpable. The South China Morning Post cites a survey warning that nearly 30 percent of these migrants do not meet the new bar. Unless London blinks, thousands will be screened out at the doorstep, leaving them empty-handed after five wasted years. Agitated Hong Kong people in UK are scrambling with petitions, but make no mistake: for the British government, utility is the only metric that matters.
Survey Warning: 30% of Hong Kong BNO holders fall short of London's new "permanent residence" rules and face being screened out at the finish line.
Here is the bait-and-switch: getting the visa was easy, but staying is going to cost you. Previously, income checks were nonexistent. Now, the rules have tightened: you need a fixed job, a tax record, and an annual haul of at least £12,570 (HK$128,000) for three to five years. That might sound low, but for many Hong Kong BNO holders, it is a high wall to climb. Not everyone is punching the clock in a full-time gig.
The SCMP-cited survey breaks it down. Of the 690 interviewed: 19 percent are housewives, 8 percent are retirees, and 3 percent are students. That is 30 percent of the total population right there. No job, no income, no tax record. If the Home Office sticks to the letter of the law, this entire group is going to fail the assessment cold.
Even the working class is standing on shaky ground. The data shows that only 42 percent of respondents have full-time jobs, while another 20 percent are scraping by with part-time work. Do the math: stable, salaried Hong Kong BNO holders are not the majority. Many are hustling in "casual work," where income fluctuates wildly and often falls short of the new government mandates.
Speak to anyone on the ground, and they will tell you the housewife trap is real. Families move over with young kids, find they can’t hire help, and suddenly the mother is housebound. It is a forced choice. Even if they pick up part-time shifts to help make ends meet, those meager earnings inevitably miss the strict income targets London has set.
The Wealth Illusion
Then there are the cash-rich, income-poor migrants. These are the folks who sold their Hong Kong properties at the peak, sitting on millions of dollars to fund a quiet life in the UK. Some are retired; others just don’t need to work. They are slowly "pinching" their savings to get by. But under these new rules, their wealth is irrelevant. No employment income means no tax record. And no tax record means they are not getting past the gatekeepers.
Smart professionals are also about to get caught in their own loop. I know of Hong Kong BNO holders who aren't unemployed—they are just working "on the sly," taking remote gigs from Hong Kong to dodge UK taxes. It used to be a clever way to save a buck. Now, it is a liability. Without a UK tax footprint or local employment record, they have technically earned nothing in the eyes of the Home Office. When application time comes, they are going to face big trouble.
The education gap is another ticking time bomb. The survey reveals that 16 percent of respondents only have a secondary education. Let’s be realistic: hitting the B2 English level—roughly A-Level standard—is a pipe dream for this demographic. This single hurdle is going to cull a significant herd of applicants before they even get started.
The Language Barrier: With 16% of surveyed migrants holding only secondary education, the "B2 barrier" for English proficiency is set to trigger a wave of failures.
Panic is setting in as families realize they might be kicked out at the last minute. Distressed and confused, Hong Kong BNO holders are mobilizing. A petition demanding the government lower the bar—keeping the easier B1 English requirement and scrapping the income test—has already gathered 28,000 signatures. They are even planning a protest march for December 6.
Utility Over Humanity
London, sensing the rising heat, offered a vague olive branch yesterday. Officials claim the consultation is not yet finalized and teased a potential transitional arrangement. But do not hold your breath—nobody bothered to explain what that transition actually looks like.
Let’s call this what it is: habitual duplicity. When the chips are down, the British government puts utility first. A sharp analysis in Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao hit the nail on the head: by piling on these conditions, London is downgrading the BNO route from a special humanitarian channel to a high-threshold, ordinary immigration path. It has morphed into a policy demanding economic tribute, not a sanctuary.
The writing is on the wall. Don't expect them to lower the bar for permanent residence. Smart Hong Kong people should know better than to have high expectations.
Lai Ting-yiu
