Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, recently met with UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, to discuss a range of issues, including the use of British National (Overseas) passports as proof of identity for pension withdrawals. Hui reaffirmed that emigrants seeking to withdraw their pensions from the city’s official fund cannot use their BN(O) passports as proof of identity.
Trevelyan, on a six-day visit to China, expressed concerns about what she called the erosion of rights in Hong Kong, particularly under the city’s newly-passed security legislation. She raised these concerns in meetings with senior Chinese government officials and the Hong Kong authorities, including Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Li.
Despite these concerns, Trevelyan and Deng explored opportunities for cooperation between Britain and China on artificial intelligence safeguards, trade, development, and climate change. However, Trevelyan also addressed issues concerning the BN(O) community in the UK, including the imposition of bounties, during her meeting with Hui.
Hui emphasized that Hong Kong’s domestic national security legislation is conducive to creating a stable and prosperous business environment, promoting economic and financial development, and protecting human rights and freedoms under the Basic Law and international covenants. He stated that this legislation would allow the city to attract more businesses and investment in a safer and more stable environment.
Regarding pension withdrawals, Hui sought to address misunderstandings, stating that emigrants cannot use their BN(O) passports to withdraw their Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) contributions on the grounds of leaving the city permanently because the BN(O) passport is not recognized as proof of identity in Hong Kong.
The UK’s Foreign Office did not comment on the matter of pension funds, and HKFP has reached out for further comment. The MPF clarified in 2021 that emigrants cannot rely on the BN(O) passport or its associated visa as evidence for an application for early withdrawal of MPF.
Hong Kong has experienced a wave of emigration following Beijing’s imposition of a national security law in 2020 and strict COVID-19 rules. Among the top destinations for emigrants is the UK, where BN(O) passport holders and their dependents can apply for permanent residency after five years and full British citizenship after another year.
(Photo: HKFP | SCMP)
