The Interior Ministry said about 2.9 million Hong Kong people were eligible for citizenship after China passed a security law resolution.

The British Interior Ministry yesterday announced that all residents eligible to own a foreign passport (BNO) living in Hong Kong, equivalent to about 2.9 million people, will be extended working and studying time in

The announcement came after Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on May 28 said Hong Kong residents with BNO could be granted British citizenship if Beijing did not withdraw its security laws.

The decision by the Interior Ministry has expanded the group of citizens that can apply for citizenship, including 2.6 million Hong Kong people who had owned BNO in the past but did not renew after the expiry.

Overseas UK national passports are issued to Hong Kong people born before London returns the city to Beijing on July 1, 1997.

The British government's move comes after the National People's Congress (NPC), the Chinese parliament, voted to pass a resolution on building a Hong Kong security law, officially called "Resolution

The NPC Standing Committee is authorized to draft detailed laws.

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang affirmed that Hong Kong's security laws were designed to uphold the principle of "one country, two regimes" as well as the long-term stability and prosperity of the special zone.

The British government has repeatedly expressed deep concern about the Hong Kong security bill, saying it risks undermining the principle of "one country, two regimes".