{"id":92437,"date":"2021-01-31T07:16:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T12:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=92437"},"modified":"2021-01-31T07:16:27","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T12:16:27","slug":"auto-draft-472","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2021\/01\/31\/auto-draft-472\/","title":{"rendered":"China rejects plan to give millions of UK passports to Hong Kong citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"t-content__chapo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-92438 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong.jpg 600w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-24x16.jpg 24w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-36x24.jpg 36w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Hong-Kong-48x32.jpg 48w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>RFI \u2014 China has announced that it will not recognise the British National Overseas passport as a valid travel document, fuelling a row with London over plans to grant UK citizenship to millions of Hong Kong residents.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<div class=\"m-interstitial\">\n<div class=\"m-interstitial__ad\" data-readmore-target=\"\">\n<div class=\"m-block-ad \" data-tms-ad-type=\"box\" data-tms-ad-status=\"resized\" data-tms-ad-pos=\"1\" data-tms-ad-provider=\"dfp\" data-tms-ad-owner=\"fmm\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The announcement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fmprc.gov.cn\/mfa_eng\/xwfw_665399\/s2510_665401\/t1849568.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creates confusion<\/a>\u00a0around the plan, just hours after London said it would start taking applications for the so-called\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/british-nationals-overseas-in-hong-kong#current-status-of-british-nationals-overseas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">British National Overseas (BNO) visas<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"em-WBMZ18022-RFI-EN-20210129\" class=\"m-em-flash\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/index.html?creatorScreenName=madeyang&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1355048201586262019&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rfi.fr%2Fen%2Finternational%2F20210130-china-rejects-plan-to-give-millions-of-uk-passports-to-hong-kong-citizens&amp;siteScreenName=RFI_En&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1355048201586262019\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The plan is to offer as many as 5.4 million Hong Kong citizens the possibility of obtaining UK residency and citizenship. Successful applicants will have to live and work in the UK for five years before they can apply for a full UK passport.<\/p>\n<p>Demand for the scheme soared after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/international\/20200630-china-approves-hong-kong-national-security-law-protests-democracy-secret-police-state\" target=\"_self\">Beijing introduced<\/a>\u00a0the contested &#8220;National Security Law&#8221; in Hong Kong on 1 July 2020, following months of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/asia-pacific\/20191004-hong-kong-invokes-authoritarian-colonial-law-against-protesters-no-masks-china\" target=\"_self\">pro-democracy protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-figure m-figure--original\">\n<div class=\"m-figure__img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-figure__img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.rfi.fr\/media\/display\/ec2128aa-d936-11ea-a3b3-005056bff430\/d081318e37ad2079a2dd90690f334d81c2ab27d6_2.webp\" alt=\"China's new security law in Hong Kong came after the city was shaken by massive pro-democracy protests.\" data-image-dataset=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/s.rfi.fr\\\/media\\\/display\\\/ec2128aa-d936-11ea-a3b3-005056bff430\\\/&quot;,&quot;filename&quot;:&quot;d081318e37ad2079a2dd90690f334d81c2ab27d6_2.jpg&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:null,&quot;displayFormat&quot;:&quot;original&quot;}\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"m-figure__caption\"><span class=\"m-figure__caption__legend\">China&#8217;s new security law in Hong Kong came after the city was shaken by massive pro-democracy protests.<\/span> <span class=\"m-figure__caption__credits\">AFP\/File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe British side\u2019s attempt to turn a large number of Hong Kong people into second-class British citizens has completely changed the nature of the two sides\u2019 original understanding of BNO,\u201d Zhao told reporters at a daily press conference in Beijing. <\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-figure m-figure--original\">\n<div class=\"m-figure__img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-figure__img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.rfi.fr\/media\/display\/1fc25be8-34c2-11eb-ad66-005056a964fe\/AP20113386588133.webp\" alt=\"In this file photo taken Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry new spokesman Zhao Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. \" data-image-dataset=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/s.rfi.fr\\\/media\\\/display\\\/1fc25be8-34c2-11eb-ad66-005056a964fe\\\/&quot;,&quot;filename&quot;:&quot;AP20113386588133.jpg&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:null,&quot;displayFormat&quot;:&quot;original&quot;}\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"m-figure__caption\"><span class=\"m-figure__caption__legend\">In this file photo taken Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry new spokesman Zhao Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. <\/span> <span class=\"m-figure__caption__credits\">AP &#8211; Andy Wong<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis move seriously infringes China\u2019s sovereignty, grossly interferes in Hong Kong affairs and China\u2019s internal affairs, and violates international law and the basic norms of international relations,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChina will no longer recognise the so-called BNO passport as a travel document and proof of identity starting from 31 January, and reserves the right to take further measures.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Disapointment<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The BNO passport was originally a disappointment for Hong Kongers when it was first offered ahead of the territory\u2019s handover to Chinese rule in 1997.<\/p>\n<p>The passport was the brainchild of then Hong Kong governor, Chris Patten, and served as a consolation for those Hong Kong citizens who were frightened at the prospect of a Chinese takeover of their city following the brutal crackdown against\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/asia-pacific\/20190530-china-thirty-years-tiananmen-square-unpublished-photos-student-movement\" target=\"_self\">pro-democracy protesters\u00a0<\/a>in Tiananmen Square\u00a0in Beijing in 1989.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-figure m-figure--original\">\n<div class=\"m-figure__img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-figure__img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.rfi.fr\/media\/display\/7fd7dd1c-1670-11ea-8b39-005056a99247\/ee4f14b59dd5de7ec4c246e6c58ea3d4f5d79831_1.webp\" alt=\"Thousands had gathered for weeks in Tiananmen Square to call for democratic change and an end to corruption (picture from June 2, 1989). After the People's Liberation Army had crushed the largely peaceful protests, people in Hong Kong panicked, knowing that they would come under Chinese rule just eight years later.\" data-image-dataset=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/s.rfi.fr\\\/media\\\/display\\\/7fd7dd1c-1670-11ea-8b39-005056a99247\\\/&quot;,&quot;filename&quot;:&quot;ee4f14b59dd5de7ec4c246e6c58ea3d4f5d79831_1.jpg&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:null,&quot;displayFormat&quot;:&quot;original&quot;}\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"m-figure__caption\"><span class=\"m-figure__caption__legend\">Thousands had gathered for weeks in Tiananmen Square to call for democratic change and an end to corruption (picture from June 2, 1989). After the People&#8217;s Liberation Army had crushed the largely peaceful protests, people in Hong Kong panicked, knowing that they would come under Chinese rule just eight years later.<\/span> <span class=\"m-figure__caption__credits\">AFP\/File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>At the time, the BNO passports, which came under fire from Beijing as soon as the plan was first suggested, offered only the right to visit the UK for six months, with no permission to work or become a full citizen. Applicants had to have been born before the handover date.<\/p>\n<p>Following the 1997 handover, pressure grew to expand the privileges, as China increasingly cracked down on civil and political life in Hong Kong. In their 1984 <a href=\"http:\/\/commonslibrary.parliament.uk\/research-briefings\/cbp-8616\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joint Declaration<\/a>,\u00a0China and London agreed that Hong Kong would be able to maintain its own lifestyle for at least 50 years after the handover, or until 2047.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Null and void<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>But China has since declared the accord null and void, and imposed the national security law on the territory after the city\u2019s legislature was unable to pass the legislation on its own.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-figure m-figure--original\">\n<div class=\"m-figure__img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-figure__img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.rfi.fr\/media\/display\/3578baa2-3de3-11eb-8cc9-005056bf18d4\/2020-12-12T003152Z_1762520577_RC2CLK9395R2_RTRMADP_3_HONGKONG-SECURITY-JIMMY-LAI.webp\" alt=\"Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, walks to a prison van to head to court, after being charged under the national security law, in Hong Kong, China December 12, 2020. REUTERS\/Tyrone Siu\" data-image-dataset=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/s.rfi.fr\\\/media\\\/display\\\/3578baa2-3de3-11eb-8cc9-005056bf18d4\\\/&quot;,&quot;filename&quot;:&quot;2020-12-12T003152Z_1762520577_RC2CLK9395R2_RTRMADP_3_HONGKONG-SECURITY-JIMMY-LAI.JPG&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:null,&quot;displayFormat&quot;:&quot;original&quot;}\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"m-figure__caption\"><span class=\"m-figure__caption__legend\">Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, walks to a prison van to head to court, after being charged under the national security law, in Hong Kong, China December 12, 2020. REUTERS\/Tyrone Siu<\/span> <span class=\"m-figure__caption__credits\">REUTERS &#8211; TYRONE SIU<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>As many Hong Kong citizens also have a passport issued by China, it remains to be seen how efficient Beijing&#8217;s attempt to block BNO passport holders will be.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said &#8220;I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BNOs to live, work and make their homes in our country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn doing so we have honoured our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy \u2013 values which both the UK and Hong Kong hold dear.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RFI \u2014 China has announced that it will not recognise the British National Overseas passport as a valid travel document, fuelling a row with London over plans to grant UK citizenship to millions of Hong Kong residents.\u00a0 \u00a0 The announcement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday\u00a0creates confusion\u00a0around the plan, just hours after [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recposts"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["fa","en"],"languages":{"fa":{"title":true,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92437"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92440,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92437\/revisions\/92440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}