IN CONFIDENCE
(b)
or who are the children of, persons mentioned in
(i) above.
"Chinese Residents"
These are defined in the Ordinance as persons other
than "Hong Kong belongers" who are wholly or partly
of Chinese race and have at any time been ordinarily
resident in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less
than seven years. A Chinese resident has the right to
land in Hong Kong at any time and without any conditions
attached to his stay in the Colony, unless there is a
deportation order in force against him at the time.
Normally the inhabitants of a colony are "Citizens of the
United Kingdom and Colonies" without qualification.
know, a colony is not given its own citizenship until independence.
Because we could not use the term "Citizens of Hong Kong", for
example, we were driven to devise the unglamourous term "belonger"
to meet the position of persons in a dependent territory who
wanted a closer association with that territory than the status
of British subject implied.
As you
You suggested the term "Chinese citizens of Hong Kong",
I am afraid that this would be impracticable, not only for the
reasons mentioned above, but also because it might be read to
mean "Citizens of China resident in Hong Kong". The Chinese
Government might choose to read it in this way and use this
reading as a handle to create a great deal of trouble.
IN CONFIDENCE
/As he