Beijing Warns Britain To Stop Its BN(O) 'nonsense'

The Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong on Friday called on the British government to put an end to its "hypocritical performances and political manipulation", in response to London's announcement of further details of its BN(O) resident visa for Hongkongers.

In a statement, the ministry urged Britain to "immediately correct its mistake", and stressed that the UK has no sovereignty, governance or supervisory role in Hong Kong.

The statement said that before the handover, Britain had explicitly promised not to grant BN(O) passport holders the right of abode and its move to offer holders a "route to citizenship" is a "blatant breach of its commitments".

The ministry again accused Britain of interfering in China's internal affairs, and insisted that the introduction of the SAR's national security law – which prompted London's visa move – was necessary to "put an end to chaos" in the territory.

It also rejected the suggestion that Britain has a responsibility towards people in its former colony.

"The British so-called 'promise to the people of Hong Kong' is completely wishful thinking and nonsense," the statement said.

"The British side's attempt to use the BN(O) passport issue to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and contain China's development will only end in failure. We demand that the British side immediately correct their mistakes and stop political manipulation, otherwise they will surely shoot themselves in the foot," it added.

Beijing's imposition of the national security law at the end of June sparked a rush of applications for BN(O) passport renewals, although London has since said that the travel document won't be required for people with BN(O) status who wish to move to Britain.

Applications for the new visa will open at the end of January and British officials say they estimate that up to a million Hongkongers could move to the country within five years.