The Hong Kong government has notified about a dozen foreign consulates that it no longer recognizes BNO passports as valid travel documents as of Jan. 31 this year, the Voice of America reported, citing Reuters news. The Hong Kong government requires travelers to use Hong Kong passports.
The move immediately drew the ire of foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, which called it a “diplomatic affront. “Most countries will ignore this request,” a senior Western diplomat who saw the Hong Kong government’s letter told Reuters. “The Hong Kong government is overstepping its bounds, it has no authority to order any country to recognize foreign passports.”
Another diplomat described the Hong Kong government’s action as “almost provocative. He said the Hong Kong government has never acted in this way, always remembering Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center and always acting in a moderate manner. Perhaps influenced by the Chinese Communist Party‘s war-wolf diplomacy, the Hong Kong government’s foreign style has also become brutal.
Reuters said officials from Japan, South Korea, Italy and New Zealand said they would continue to recognize BNO passports and issue visas on that basis. South Korea’s foreign ministry said it had not been notified by the Hong Kong government. Hungary, for its part, said it received it and began discussions with Hong Kong authorities to adjust the holiday working program accordingly.
The United States, Finland, Norway and other countries also offer similar part-Time work programs and exchange student programs for Hong Kong residents. Hong Kong people can apply for these programs with their BNO documents.
It is unclear whether the U.S. side has received a letter from the Hong Kong government, but a State Department spokesperson said the BNO remains a valid status for passport applications and travel to the United States.
Voice of America reports that the BNO passport was a promise made by the British government to Hong Kong residents when Hong Kong reverted to China in 1997, in case of an emergency. The BNO passport not only extends the period of stay in the U.K. for Hong Kong residents holding such passports, but also facilitates their application for British citizenship passports, according to the U.K., after Beijing pushed through national security laws in Hong Kong in June of last year.
The British side said that the provision of BNO passports to Hong Kong residents after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law is part of the fulfillment of a historic moral commitment made by the UK to the people of Hong Kong.
Currently, many young people in Hong Kong are using this travel document to work and intern in Europe, North America and Asia during their holidays. However, due to the deterioration of relations between Britain and China, the authorities in Beijing have repeatedly made it clear that both mainland China and Hong Kong do not recognize or accept the BNO passport. The Hong Kong government’s move to notify foreign agencies in Hong Kong not to continue accepting such travel documents is seen as a major move by both Beijing and the Hong Kong government to boycott the British BNO passport.
There are approximately three million residents in Hong Kong who hold BNO passports or are eligible to apply for such passports.
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