BEIJING (AP) – China said on Friday it would no longer recognize Britain’s overseas national passport as a valid travel document or form of identification amid a tough dispute with London over a plan that will allow millions of residents of Hong Kong a route to residency and eventual citizenship. .
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian’s announcement on Friday sparked new uncertainty around the plan just hours after the UK said it would start applying for BNO visas from Sunday afternoon.
Under the plan, up to 5.4 million Hong Kong residents could be eligible to live and work in the UK for five years and then apply for citizenship. Demand skyrocketed after Beijing last year imposed a new national security law on the former British colony after months of pro-democracy protests.
“The British side’s attempt to turn a large number of Hong Kong people into second-class British citizens has completely changed the nature of BNO’s original understanding of the two sides,” Zhao told reporters in a briefing. daily.
“This measure seriously infringes on China’s sovereignty, seriously interferes in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs, and seriously violates international law and the basic rules of international relations,” he said. “China will no longer recognize the so-called BNO passport as a travel document and proof of identity from January 31 and reserves the right to take further action.”
Many Hong Kongers carry multiple passports and it is unclear what the Chinese government can do to prevent people from entering the UK through the BNO visa plan. As an additional protection of personal privacy, a mobile application will allow applicants to download their biometric information without having to be seen at the UK visa office.
The BNO passport was originally a disappointment to Hong Kongers when it was first offered before the surrender of Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997. At the time, it only offered the right to visit for six months without the right to work or work. be a full citizen. . Applicants must have been born before the delivery date.
However, pressure grew to expand privileges as China increasingly repressed civilian and political life in Hong Kong, in what critics say violates China’s commitment to maintaining the independent way of life of Hong Kong. the city for 50 years after delivery. China first declared the 1984 Sino-British declaration establishing delivery agreements null and void despite its recognition by the United Nations, and then imposed national security law on the territory after the the city could not approve it alone.
“I am immensely proud to have introduced this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make a home in our country,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.
“In doing so, we have honored our deep ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong and championed freedom and autonomy: values that both the UK and Hong Kong cherish.”