Beijing is pressing Hong Kong’s elite to give up their western passports in order to be selected for the Chinese parliament as it tries to stamp out foreign influence and tighten control of the territory.Officials told politicians and tycoons wishing to represent Hong Kong at China’s top decision-making body to renounce passports or travel documents from countries including the UK, according to one new delegate, one former delegate and another person briefed on the selection process.
Members of China’s National People’s Congress, which opened its annual meeting at the weekend, are selected every five years. In December, Beijing selected 36 delegates from Hong Kong, the first time they have chosen representatives from the territory since the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which China blamed on “foreign forces”.
While Hong Kong citizens hold Chinese passports, many residents of the former UK colony are eligible for the British National (Overseas) travel document, which is a route to citizenship. Significant numbers also hold Canadian, Australian or US passports.