China will stop recognizing British citizen abroad passports as a travel document and identity card from January 31, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Friday.
British Citizen Abroad passports were issued to Hong Kongers born before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Holders of the document were entitled to consular support, but were not considered British citizens and were not allowed to stay in the metropolis for more than six months. Now, according to the decision of the British authorities, such passport holders and their family members will be able to stay in the UK for up to five years with the right to work and study, and after six years they will be able to apply for British citizenship.
“China will no longer recognize the British Citizen Abroad passports as travel documents and identity cards from January 31, and we reserve the right to take further measures”, – the diplomat said.
According to him, the action of great Britain undermine the sovereignty of the PRC, are meddling in Hong Kong and China’s internal Affairs, and also violate the principles of international law and relations.
According to media estimates, about 5.4 million Hong Kongers out of the nearly 7.5 million population of this special Administrative Region have such passports. The corresponding decision of the UK was a response to the adoption of the law on ensuring national security in Hong Kong by China.