った
RJT McLaren Esq
FED
FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
FEC400/2
9 MAR 1981
British Embassy
PEKING
25 February 1981
Swice
the Entrarry it vien
differ for Thore expremes.
by for wilson we
to conside carefully, conculty. Consuler dash.
mit wees
Head
Lu V/in
Mr Payl
R&R
12
12
Dear Robin
PROTECTION OF HONG KONG BRITISH SUBJECTS IN CHINA
and our
I am writing with reference to David Wilson's letter SCR/1167/55 XII of 3 February about
1.
policy on protection of Hong Kong British subjects in China.
2. First the case of
Consular Department have now responded to our Note. On 19 February they telephoned to say that they were consulting the Guangdong Provincial Authorities and that it would therefore be some weeks before they can let us have a definitive response. It looks therefore as if
status and our right to act on his behalf has been accepted. As you know from the enclosure to Miss Cham's letter, her Uncle was born in the Khmer Republic which would in any case have made it difficult for the Chinese to claim that he is a Chinese citizen.
3. On the question of policy, from a consular viewpoint we consider that irrespective of what documents Hong Kong citizens use to enter China if they are Hong Kong British passport holders they are entitled to protection.
The more favourable political climate in China and the fact that
status and our right to act on his behalf have not so far been brought into question, lends support to this view. Of course, our locus standi with the Chinese will be much stronger in cases where the passport holders have used their passports to enter China.
CONFIDENTIAL
/ 4.