Michael Chugani

Opinion | Beijing should ask itself why BN(O) passport holders want to leave Hong Kong, rather than issuing threats

Why does Beijing want to stop BN(O) passport holders from leaving anyway? They are likely to oppose the national security law and to have backed last year’s mass protests

So why not let these so-called unpatriotic troublemakers go – or would that prove too embarrassing?

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Pedestrians cross over the south side of Westminster Bridge in central London on October 21. The sight of Hongkongers leaving their vibrant, cosmopolitan city en masse for a cold, wet island could be an embarrassing one for Beijing. Photo: AP

Michael Chugani

Published: 7:45am, 29 Oct 2020Updated: 12:39pm, 2 Feb 2021

A threat is just that, unless it is followed through. Beijing’s threats are sometimes implicit, other times not. Australia and Sweden, among others, know its wrath. Canada and Britain are the latest targets.

Beijing’s threats often combine with the mantra that others must “correct their mistakes” and not “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”. My local friends jokingly use the Chinese expression “glass hearts” for people whose feelings are easily shattered. Mainland officials should explore new phraseology.

China’s ambassador to Canada made an implied threat two weeks ago about the health and safety of 300,000 Canadian passport holders here if Canada grants asylum to Hongkongers. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian’s threat last week was more explicit after Britain issued details for British National (Overseas) passport holders to settle there.

He renewed Beijing’s threat to not recognise the BN(O) passport, accusing Britain of breaking a pre-reunification promise not to grant abode rights to Hong Kong Chinese BN(O) passport holders. The Foreign Ministry’s Hong Kong office issued a statement demanding Britain “correct its mistakes”.

What puzzles me is how Britain has broken its promise when Beijing has declared more than once the Sino-British Joint Declaration is now an irrelevant historical document. By that same token, a pre-handover promise is now an irrelevant historical promise.

03:14

UK unveils details of citizenship offer for Hongkongers with BN(O) passport holders

Technically, Britain is not offering right of abode to BN(O) passport holders. Right of abode as generally understood means promptly giving full residency rights with no preconditions. What’s on offer is a difficult and costly pathway to citizenship that would take years.

Opinion | Beijing should ask itself why BN(O) passport holders want to leave Hong Kong, rather than issuing threats

Why does Beijing want to stop BN(O) passport holders from leaving anyway? They are likely to oppose the national security law and to have backed last year’s mass protests So why not let these so-called unpatriotic troublemakers go – or would that prove too embarrassing?

Why does Beijing want to stop BN(O) passport holders from leaving anyway? They are likely to oppose the national security law and to have backed last year’s mass protests

So why not let these so-called unpatriotic troublemakers go – or would that prove too embarrassing?