Complex sentence: The renaming did not change how the government operated but it affected the nationality status of Hong Kong's then over 5 million inhabitants, most of whom were to become British Dependent Territory citizens--a status that could no longer be transmitted by descent.
Split into simpler sentences: The renaming did not change how the government operated but it affected the nationality status of Hong Kong's then over 5 million inhabitants. Most of whom were to become British Dependent Territory citizens--a status that could no longer be transmitted by descent.