GRS 300
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKDY 091100Z F CO
DESKBY 092359Z PEKING
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CON: CENTURA 040/4
FM HONG KONG 0910152 JAN 85
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 66 OF 9 JANUARY
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INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
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Q24.
YOUR TELNO 44: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NEW NATIONALITY TITLE.
**BRITISH
AS PREDICTED, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CONTINUED TO RESIST NATIONAL: SPECIAL STATUS''. NOR DID THEY FAVOUR BRITISH OVERSEAS
CITIZEN
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2. THEY WERE MORE FAVOURABLY DISPOSED TOWARDS ''BRITISH OVERSEAS
NATIONAL. BUT THEY FELT IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO BOC AND WANTED TO KEEP THE WORDS BRITISH NATIONAL TOGETHER IN THE TITLE. THEIR STRONG PREFERENCE IS FOR BRITISH RATIONAL : OVERSEAS. IF THIS
FORMULA WERE AGREED THEY WOULD LIKE IT TO APPEAR AS SUCH AGAINST
''NATIONAL STATUS'' IN PASSPORTS. THEIR ARGUMENT FOR THIS FORMULA
WAS THAT IT SHOWED CLEARLY THAT NATIONALITY WAS BRITISH: IT SIMPLY
CHANGED THE WORD ORDER OF A FORMULA ACCEPTABLE TO MINISTERS: AND AS
IT DID NOT INCLUDE "HONG KONG MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE CHINESE.
3. IF YOU SEE NO (NO) OBJECTION TO THIS FORMULA, AS A NEXT STEP I
WOULD LIKE TO TRY IT OUT ON A CONFIDENTIAL BASIS WITH UMELCO
UNOFFICIALS, AS A TEST OF WHETHER OR NOT IT IS LIKELY TO BE
ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. I RECOMMEND THIS BECAUSE IN
THIS WAY WE CAN MINIMIZE THE RISK OF IT PROVING CONTROVERSIAL WHEN
IT IS MADE PUBLIC IN HONG KONG. WE COULD TRY IT ON THEM AT THE SAME TIME AS THE CHIEF SECRETARY'S CONFIDENTIAL BRIEFING OF UMELCO
ON THE HONG KONG BILL TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR 1103302. (ALTHOUGH
WE SHALL NOT DE SOLICITING FURTHER SUGGESTIONS FROM UMELCO, WE MUST
HOT (NOT) RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY COME UP WITH A PETTER
IDEA.)
CONFIDENTIAL
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