Ip was not factually wrong when appealing for the end a long-standing practice that permits Hong Kong emigrants to have the best of both worlds, while mainlanders and the nationals of some other countries do not have such a benefit. Hong Kong's situation is rather special due to historical reasons, with residents having emigrated to, say, the UK and naturalized as UK nationals able to continue living in Hong Kong without restrictions. It is very likely that BNO holders will not be allowed to have the best of both worlds and will have to choose between them. Considering the UK's domestic politics, it is not guaranteed the BNO scheme will last permanently after it comes into effect at the end of this month. In this sense, there could be policy risks in the future when the Sino-British relationship improves and the UK government changes the terms and conditions for the BNO scheme.

Source: The Standard January 14, 2021 19:07 UTC