China will take “appropriate action” if the United Kingdom expands access to British citizenship to Hong Kong residents. The Chinese embassy in London announced this on Thursday. London had announced this on Wednesday after the introduction of the new Chinese security law.
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“If the British side unilaterally changes the current rule, it would violate its own position and international law,” the Chinese embassy said in a communiqué. “We will vehemently oppose it and reserve the right to take appropriate action.” The embassy does not provide more details.
The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday a plan to extend immigration rights to Hong Kong residents. According to London, the new security law imposed by Beijing violates the autonomy of the former British colony. China was transferred to the area in 1997, on condition that certain freedoms would be preserved, as would judicial and legal autonomy for 50 years.
London wants to change the conditions attached to a special British passport. Those who have such a passport could live and work in the United Kingdom. Currently, about 350,000 Hong Kong residents have such a passport, a figure that has almost doubled since the protests against Beijing’s central authority began a year ago. But another 2.9 million Hong Kongers, basically anyone born before 1997, could also obtain the document.
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