Beijing is forcing Hong Kong’s elite to surrender their western passports in order to be elected to China’s parliament as it tries to stamp out foreign influence and tighten control over the region.
Officials have told politicians and tycoons who want to represent Hong Kong on China’s top decision-making body to refuse passports or travel documents from countries including Britain, according to one new delegate, one former delegate and another person briefed on the election process.
Members of China’s National People’s Congress, which opened its annual meeting at the weekend, are elected every five years. In December, Beijing elected 36 delegates from Hong Kong, the first to elect representatives from the territory since the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which China blamed on “foreign forces”.
While Hong Kong residents hold Chinese passports, many residents of the former British colony are eligible for British National (Overseas) travel documents, a route to citizenship. A significant number also hold Canadian, Australian or US passports.
At least one NPC delegate seeking another term was denied a seat for holding BNO, the people said. While Beijing has previously said that BNO holders are eligible for the NPC, “the message is either you give up or you don’t open”, said another former NPC delegate.
The Hong Kong Liaison Office, Beijing’s representative in the city, did not respond to a request for comment.
Pressure to deny foreign passports comes after Beijing imposed its “patriots ruling Hong Kong” policy, a program of intensive vetting of leadership roles in the city as China seeks to remove local politicians with strong ties to the West from powerful positions. The rules also regulate elections for the Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s de facto parliament, which is currently made up of pro-Beijing members of the legislature.
Hong Kong’s NPC delegates chosen by Beijing told the Financial Times that Beijing’s concerns were “understandable as the delegation is running for one of the most important bodies” in the country.
Lau Siu-kai, a Beijing adviser and vice president of the Hong Kong and Macao Chinese Studies Association, said holding foreign passports or travel documents could be a security risk.
“China is facing increasing national security threats from the US and the west,” Lau said. “And when the UK offers BN(O) a path to residency and citizenship . . . it raises the question of loyalty.
While some countries impose citizenship requirements on elected officials, the situation presents a test for Hong Kong’s globe-trotting elite, many of whom want to retain dual citizenship.
After the 2019 protests, more than 160,000 Hongkongers applied for British citizenship, at least 105,200 of whom have come to the UK.
The scheme has angered Beijing, with former foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying “all Hong Kong Chinese are Chinese citizens”. China has also said it will not recognize British passports offered to former Hong Kong residents.
CY Leung, a senior Chinese official and former Hong Kong leader, told the FT last week that all political figures in Hong Kong, including representatives of Beijing’s political body and pro-government legislators, “must surrender their foreign passports, [and] of course the UK and the US”, citing the risk of sanctions as the reason.
“What a long sleeve from the US [prosecutors target those who held on to their passports] as a US citizen. . . act against US interests or ideology?”
During a national security education event last month, Leung said those who refused to hand over the documents were “making meaningless excuses”.