CONFIDENTIAL
BACKGROUND NOTE
MR BLAKER'S STOP-OVERS IN HONG KONG: 1 AND 6 MARCH 1981
Hugh.
до
Doy:
о
understand
1. Mr Blaker may wish to have the following facts to hand during
his brief stops in Hong Kong.
Nationality Bill
2. There remains strong and increasing disquiet in Hong Kong
(particularly among Unofficials) over the Bill, focussing on:
(a) the feeling that the UK is trying to distance itself from
Hong Kong;
(b) worries of senior civil servants and Unofficials that they
would be left without effective nationality or a safe haven
if the event of a crisis;
(c) the problem of statelessness for children of immigrants to
the UK who have not fulfilled the 7 year requirement for
resident status;
(a) the possible attitude of third countries who may tighten
their immigration procedures against CBDT's.
Two senior Unofficials, Sir S Y Chung and Mr O V Cheung, discussed
the Bill with the Secretary of State on 2 February and with the Home
Secretary on 6 February. Home Office and FCO officials met, on the
instructions of their respective Ministers, on 24 February to dis-
cuss Hong Kong's proposed amendments to the Bill. A further meeting
will take place on 4 March and will take account of the ExCo meeting
on 3 March. The Governor may come to London to discuss the issue
with Ministers in the week beginning 9 March. A disturbing element
is suspicion among Chinese Unofficials that expatriate officials,
with their future secure, are not doing enough for the locals.
CONFIDENTIAL
/Overseas