Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian (pictured) announced on Friday that Beijing will no longer recognize the British National Overseas (BNO) passport as a valid travel or identification document.
During a daily press briefing, Zhao explained that the decision will take effect at the end of the month, and underlined that the British side has "infringed upon China's sovereignty, interfered in Hong Kong SAR affairs and China's internal affairs, and gravely violated international law and norms," as translated by the Global Times.
The BNO passports were first issued in 1987 in Hong Kong, while London decided to offer refuge to approximately 3 million Hongkongers after China passed the national security law in the middle of 2020.
