布政司署 BY BAG 香港下亞畢道
本署檔號 OUR REF.: CA 76/65
* YOUR Ref.:
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
8 May 1974
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H LI DAVIES ESA
Mr Croytin
A straw in the wine ferbako
Mr Stuart Ros
A
FED
FCO
Dean High
HONG KONG TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
To su
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There has been a recent development relating to Hong Kong travel documents of which you should be aware.
C
:(N+T.). [HKIOD
The Evans Mr March To Ehrman.
2.
As you know Hong Kong people of Chinese race usually visit China on the basis of a Hong Kong re-entry permit backed by an identity card, even if they possess a British passport. This is a long-standing arrangement, which gets round the Ambiguities of the status of Chinese residents of Hong Kong. The identity card states on it whether the holder is Chinese or British. This is a statement of no legal validity, and often amounts to no more than that the holder is Chinese or British by race, though a Chinese person may et his own option be shown as "ritish if that is his nationality. We have recently had several cases where the Chinese border authorities have asked holders of identity cards showing them as British,
If whether they consider themselves as such or as Chinese. they reply (verbally) that they are British, they are advised to obtain a visa through CT 5, and are not allowed to enter China on the basis of their re-entry permits. I do not know whether the same person can come back later and switch his declaration on the next time round. Certainly few Chinese get in to China on the basis of a vise. We have had earlier examples of such refusal, but not with any consistency until recently. A similer problem has been faced by holders of Australian or Canadian passports who are of Chinese race and live in China. Formerly they have been freeto pass to and from China, but they are now
But being told to obtain a vise from C T S before entering. here the problem is different in that the people are travelling on passports.
3.
This development may be part of the process of definition of the CP G's nationality policy. But we cannot be sure of this. Responsibility for Chinese immigration procedures at lowu has recently been taken over by the Border
Alternatively
Contats
may
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part of a tightening up t
in anticipation' H.K. tightening their controls over resple crossing the in the other direction
US. MA
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border
CONFIDENTIAL
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