Wang Wenbin, the newly appointed deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of China, told the daily press briefing July 23 that China may not recognize the British National Overseas Passports held by residents of Hong Kong, which non-recognition would in effect, prevent Hong Kong residents from travelling to Britain.
Earlier this July, Britain offered British citizenship to 3 million residents of Hong Kong. Then on July 22, Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel announced provocatively that Britain would open the Hong Kong BNO special visas for application starting from January 2021. Making clear that China was in her target sight, she added, as applies to Hong Kong residents,
“There will be no skills tests or minimum income requirements, economic needs tests or caps on numbers. I am giving BN(O) citizens the opportunity to acquire full British citizenship.
“They do not need to have a job before coming to the U.K. — they can look for work once here. They may bring their immediate dependents, including non-BN(O) citizens.”
In response to this insulting proposal, Wang said, “As the English side is the first to violate the promise, China will consider not recognizing BNO passports as a valid travel document, and reserve the right to take further actions.”
The British “role” in Hong Kong derives from the fact that in 1840, the British militarily attacked and ravaged Hong Kong (and other Chinese cities), and then flooded the city — and all of China — with opium.
China’s Embassy in London said in a statement July 23, “The Chinese side urges the British side to recognize the reality that Hong Kong has returned to China, to look at the Hong Kong National Security law objectively and immediately correct its mistakes.”
