The Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out violations of international law.
China is strongly against the British intention to introduce a simplified visa system for Hong Kong residents from January 2021. This was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Chinese Embassy in London.
“The British side, despite the strong resistance of the Chinese side and repeated diplomatic representations, provides the interested persons [Hong Kong residents] with a way to obtain citizenship [in the UK], thus flagrantly violating its obligations, blatantly interfering in the internal affairs of China, seriously violating the norms of international law and key principles of international relations”, – the document says. – “In connection with these actions of the British side, we express our strong dissatisfaction and strong protest and are ready to respond to it”, – the embassy statement said.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the UK Home Office, the UK intends to open visa opportunities for Hong Kong citizens with the status of British citizens abroad from January 2021. According to the British Foreign Office, almost 3 million people with the status of British citizens abroad live in Hong Kong, of which 350 thousand already have the appropriate passport and the rest are able to apply for this document. If earlier Hong Kong residents with such passports could stay in the UK without a visa for six months, now this period will be increased to five years. After spending a total of six years in the UK (after obtaining a permanent residence permit), these Hong Kongers will be able to apply for citizenship.
To simplify the visa procedure, London responded to the adoption in China of the law on ensuring national security in Hong Kong, adopted on June 30 by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (Parliament). As stated in Beijing, it aims to prevent crimes such as separatism, terrorism, undermining State authority and collusion with foreign forces, and provides for life imprisonment as a capital punishment for them. According to the law, China’s central authorities will establish special state security bodies in this administrative region, which will not be subject to the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong administration.
A number of countries criticized Beijing, arguing that the adoption of such a law violates the principle of “one country, two systems”, while the British authorities declared a “clear and gross violation” of the Joint Sino-British Declaration on the Transfer of Hong Kong to the PRC signed in 1984. In response, the Chinese authorities called not to interfere in China’s internal affairs.