China News Service, Beijing, July 24th, title: BNO is a mirage, Hong Kong people need to live and work in peace and contentment
China News Agency reporter Lu Mei
Less than a month after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Act, the British government concocted and introduced the British National (Overseas) Passport (BNO Passport) visa policy implementation rules, and plans to implement it early next year. This manipulation blatantly violated the promise, violated international law and the basic norms of international relations, and interfered in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs.
A travel document that was about to be forgotten was turned over and painted with highlights, projecting a seemingly glamorous mirage on the people of Hong Kong.
The BNO passport is a historical relic from the British colonial period and a transitional product of Hong Kong's return. After the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, China and Britain exchanged memorandums to confirm this special status. The British side has made a clear promise not to grant BNO passport holders the right of residence in the UK. The so-called "passport" is actually just a travel document.
Before the return of Hong Kong, out of uncertainty about the development prospects, millions of Hong Kong people competed for the BNO passport. Although they did not have the "right of abode", they could at least "make travel easier" and travel to many countries and regions without visa. In the context of time and space at the time, the mentality of Hong Kong people is understandable.
With the smooth transition after the reunification, Hong Kong has achieved dazzling development achievements. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport has become a real amulet for residents to travel abroad, and a large number of BNO passports have been left in the corner by people to expire. According to statistics, when Hong Kong returned 10 years ago, 4.2 million SAR passports had been issued. Before the return, about 2.7 million BNO passports were issued. As of February 2020, only 340,000 copies of BNO passports are still valid.
The relevant policy announced by the British government this time seems to be to "expand the rights" of the BNO passport, allowing Hong Kong people to apply for a new visa to live in the UK for up to 5 years, after which they can apply for settlement. You can apply for naturalization after living for another 12 months. In fact, there is no consideration from the perspective of the interests and welfare of Hong Kong people themselves.
For a long time, British society did not welcome immigrants. Documents disclosed earlier by the British National Archives show that in the 1980s, the United Kingdom even pressured Portugal to tighten the standards for granting Portuguese citizenship to Macao residents to prevent Hong Kong people from obtaining Portuguese citizenship through Macau. Enter the UK. After joining the European Union, Britain's acceptance and resettlement of immigrants from EU countries have also been criticized.
What kind of immigration does Britain need today? It can be seen from many public reports that relevant people in the UK have not shy away from saying that after Brexit, the UK needs to fill the gap of low-skilled labor and overseas capital injection, and at the same time, it is unwilling to emigrate to occupy British welfare and public services. In other words, Hong Kong people follow the BNO route to go to the UK, either to contribute or to pay, or even to settle in remote areas. They are likely to face low-level and low-income jobs, or invest their wealth in entrepreneurship and contribute to British jobs. And high taxes.
Not long ago, young people in Hong Kong made videos and posted them on social media. They used their own experience in living in the UK for a year to explain to people that long-term life and short-term travel are two different things: as a minority group, it is difficult to find a job, cultural barriers, and climate difficulties. Discrimination is inevitable, among which hardships are like fish drinking water.
Some Hong Kong media have calculated that a family of 4 Hong Kong people living in the UK with BNO passports will spend at least HK$4.85 million in 6 years, which is not everyone's ability to afford it. After 6 years, no one can guarantee that the application for British citizenship will be approved. The reality is very skinny.
The UK has high-profile accusations of interference with the Chinese government's legitimate measures to safeguard national security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. The illusory bubble blown out this time was nothing but a political dividend from Hong Kong affairs. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with an unbelievable response to the British side's breach of promise: China will consider not recognizing the BNO passport as a valid travel document, and reserves the right to take further measures.
In fact, many Hong Kong citizens have seen through the British government's calculations and are not "cold" with the BNO passport. Some analysts pointed out that Hong Kong will not see a wave of immigration.
With the support of the central government, Hong Kong will surely get out of chaos, overcome the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and restore social order and economic vitality. The current international situation is chaotic. Hong Kong should work together with the motherland to overcome the difficulties. The Pearl of the Orient will continue to shine and become an oasis of prosperity for citizens to live and work in peace. (Finish)