Beijing condemns Britain for turning HK people to second-class citizens

Beijing today condemned the British government for launching a pathway for British National (Overseas) passport holders to get British Citizenship.  

Both the central liaison office and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office accused the foreign government of turning many Hong Kong people into a second-class British citizen. 

The spokesman of the central liaison office complained the British government seriously interfered with Chinese sovereignty and internal affairs, and said: “Both China and Britain had reached a consensus on the BN(O) passport issues before Hong Kong reunification.” 

The British government has promised that BN(O) passport holders would not have the right to live in Britain while the Chinese government would also treat the BN(O) passports as travel documents, the spokesman added. 

He said that the British government betrayed the promise 24 years later, utilizing the national security law as excuses and turning Hong Kong people to second class British citizens. Therefore, the Chinese government would take countermeasures as a legitimate response. 

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office also reserved the right of taking further action. 

The British government has violated the basic norms of international relations, the spokesman of the office pointed out.

“The British side obstructed the enactment and implementation of the national security law, but they failed. So they are now trying to work on the BN(O) passports issues instead,” said the spokesman. 

He expressed that the British’s approach is against the Sino-British Joint Declaration, “openly beautifying” the history of aggression and colonialism.