China rejects BN(O) passport as travel proof

China will no longer recognize so-called British National Overseas BN(O) passports as valid travel documents and identity certificates starting Sunday, the day when the UK opened applications for BN(O) holders in Hong Kong for British citizenship.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced the decision on Friday, accusing 10 Downing Street of “blatantly breaking its commitment by introducing the BN(O) policy, which attempts to turn a large number of Hong Kong people into “second-class” British citizens, despite the fact that it has been 24 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland.

The Hong Kong government announced a few hours later that the BN(O) passport cannot be used for entering or leaving Hong Kong, cannot be used as any form of identification in the city, and airlines must ask passengers to show their Hong Kong passport or Hong Kong identity card as proof when flying to Hong Kong.

Hype over BN(O) visas intensified as Sunday approaches, as UK’s BN(O) policy enables Hong Kong applicants and their dependents to live and work in the country for five years, and then apply for citizenship.

Analysts said that Beijing’s move was not unexpected, and if the UK escalates its measures, China will fight back.

Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times that the invalidation of BN(O) means that BN(O) holders cannot book flights or go through exit formalities using their BN(O) passports in Hong Kong. For those who really want to have UK citizenship after January 31, they might travel to the island of Taiwan with a HKSAR passport and then fly to the UK with a BN(O) passport.

The anti-government camp in Hong Kong and the West may play it up and create panic in Hong Kong society, Tang predicted.