British nationality law and Hong Kong the wording of "British Dependent Territories" with "British Overseas Territories" in "British Nationality Act, 1981" among other new provisions, further clarification was made even though this act did not even apply to Hong Kong. Section 14 of the subsequent "Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, 2002", stated specifically that a person may not be registered as a British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong. A small group of Hong Kong ethnic minorities had not been eligible for acquiring British citizenship under the "British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act, 1997" because they were not ordinarily resident in
Consular missions in Hong Kong transfer of sovereignty, North Korea, which had not been allowed to establish a trade mission in Hong Kong during British rule, was able to open a Consulate-General in February 2000. Similarly, Iran was also able to re-establish its Consulate-General, giving rise to concerns that the country could gain access to arms smuggled through Hong Kong, a free port. This had been closed by the British Government in 1989 following the Rushdie Affair. Bhutan, which did not have diplomatic relations with either Beijing or Taipei at the time of the transfer of sovereignty, was able to maintain an honorary consulate in