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Observing China is the essential newsletter to understand the UK-PRC relationship, explained in the context of global developments.

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Beijing didn’t take too well to the United Kingdom’s (UK) expansion of a visa scheme that opens the door for many Hong Kongers to live and work in Britain. In a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy, a spokesperson claimed that many of the Hong Kongers who relocated to the UK over the past few years have found themselves treated as ‘second class citizens’, facing discrimination and difficulties in making ends meet.

As illustrated in the statement, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) interprets the British National Overseas (BNO) visa scheme as a manipulation in its internal affairs, which will ‘only bring shame’ to the UK and cause it to ‘suffer the consequences of its own actions.’

The change to the visa scheme comes after Beijing sentenced Jimmy Lai, one of the world’s most well-known pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong – and a British citizen – to 20 years in prison.

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