China should strictly enforce its nationality law to prevent Hongkongers from having dual nationality, in light of the British government’s recent policy changes benefiting holders of British National (Overseas) passports, said pro-Beijing lawmaker Regina Ip.

Ip, who is also a member of the Executive Council, wrote on Sunday that the route to British citizenship offered to Hongkongers was a “slap in the face of the Chinese authorities for enacting a national security law.”

“The latest British offer would … [facilitate] the departure of Hong Kong Chinese with means, undermining support for Hong Kong after enactment of the crucial national security law,” Ip wrote in an opinion article for the South China Morning Post.

The Chinese government has historically adopted a “one eye open, one eye closed” approach to Hongkongers having a colonial-era BN(O) passport, but it might be time for the special treatment to end, Ip added.

“This could be done after a specified cut-off date. Thereafter, Hong Kong Chinese who acquire a foreign nationality of their own free will, will be deemed to have lost Chinese nationality, in strict accordance with Article 9 of the Chinese Nationality Law,” she wrote.

Those who acquire a foreign nationality by emigration or other means should lose their right to hold a Hong Kong SAR passport, their right of abode in Hong Kong as well as the right to vote in the city’s elections, Ip said.

Starting from Jan. 31, those with a BN(O) status can apply for a visa to stay and work in the United Kingdom for five years, and can eventually pursue a “path to citizenship.” Around three million people in Hong Kong are eligible for BN(O) status.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Emily Lau disagreed with Ip, saying that the BN(O) policy change was a response to Beijing’s breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by imposing the draconian national security law on Hong Kong.

Targeting BN(O) holders only would also reflect double standards, as many dual nationality Hongkongers are members of the pro-Beijing camp, including some lawmakers and government ministers.

Ip was exacerbating Hongkongers’ anxiety and “adding fuel to the fire,” Lau said.

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying said last August that dual nationality was a problem left unsolved by the Hong Kong government. At the time, Leung said that Hongkongers with dual nationalities might need to make a tough choice once China decided to enforce its laws.

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