the Chinese nationality law and the proposed new British status Hong Kong people.)
The present population of Hong Kong consists of approximately
■ 3.2 million British Dependent Territories citizens who will also be Chinese nationals
about 10,000 people who are British Dependent Territories citizens only
2 million people who will be Chinese nationals only 17,000 British citizens (with right of abode in Britain 150,000 foreign nationals (i.e. not British or Chinese)
11,000 stateless people, largely refugees from Indo-China The Agreement has been hailed by all parties in the British Parliament as a diplomatic triumph, which solves the problem that the lease on 92% of the territory of Hong Kong runs out in 1997 by preserving the way of life and capitalist ethos of Hong Kong within China. An Assessment Office was set up to test feelings in Hong Kong: it reported that most of the people of Hong Kong find the draft agreement acceptable'.3 However, the Assessment team found that reaction to the proposed nationality changes was much less positive than to the Agreement as a whole: 'most of those who commented on the Exchange of Memoranda did so in adverse or critical terms... There was a widely-shared hope that the British government and Parliament may find a way of providing further assurances for BDTCs in the coming years'.*
Measures to implement the Agreement in preparation for the handover have already started. Hong Kong has to have some form of self-government which will ensure that it can be an autonomous part of mainland China after 1997. In 1984, therefore, the elected membership of District Boards was increased and in 1985 there were the first elections, though indirect, to the Legislative Council. The development of the democratic process will be reviewed in 1987. A committee has begun to meet to draft the Basic Law, the constitution of Hong Kong after 1997, which will guarantee 'one country, two systems' for 50 years. The 59-strong committee, chosen by Peking, includes 23 Hong Kong members. A Joint Liaison Group of British and Chinese officials with diplomatic status has also been formed to oversee the implementation of the Agreement.
On 17 October 1985, in a draft Order in Council made under the Hong Kong Act, the British government announced its nationality proposals for the 34 million British Dependent Territories citizens (BDTCs) in Hong Kong. BDTC status for people from Hong Kong will
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