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proposals in the Green Paper were drawn up.
5.
Hong Kong can never become independent.
So
long as Hong Kong continues to exist in its present
form, the United Kingdom will continue to bear ultimate
responsibility for the government and people of the
territory. In these circumstances, I believe that Hong
Kong's 2.6 million Citizens of the United Kingdom and
Colonies (CUKC) must be treated differently from those
CUKC who derive their status as such from their connection
with a former dependency or with an existing dependency
which is likely in the future to acquire independent
status.
6.
The Hong Kong Government does not dispute the
practical impossibility of allowing the unrestricted
immigration into the United Kingdom of those non-patrial
CUKC who do not possess citizenship of any independent
country of the Commonwealth. However, we suggest that
immigration to the United Kingdom from Hong Kong is
already effectively controlled by the legislation
introduced in the United Kingdom in 1962 and 1971.
Further changes in citizenship status will do nothing
to make existing controls more effective.
7.
Changes in citizenship status will, however,
have a marked political impact. CUKC resident in Hong
Kong form by far the largest single group of CUKC outside
the United Kingdom. Any change in the nomenclature or
status of this group will be seen here as directed
principally at Hong Kong. The grant of separate
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