Britain has indicated its willingness to extend visas and open the way for granting citizenship to nearly three million residents in Hong Kong, in response to China's pursuit of national security legislation in the former British colony.


The Chinese parliament approved a decision to press ahead with Hong Kong's national security legislation that democracy activists, diplomats and businessmen fear will undermine the semi-independent status of the city and its role as a global financial center, and the Chinese move has faced strong criticism from Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, and the European Union .


On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Rapp said that if Beijing went on to pass the law, Britain would expand the rights granted to passport holders holding the title "British citizen abroad", while the Home Office said on Friday that this policy would apply to all holders of these passports. In Hong Kong, who number about 2.9 million people.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news