CONFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG NATIONALITY WHITE PAPER
Argument
1.
Only those citizens who derive their citizenship solely
from a connection with Hong Kong should cease to be British
Dependent Territories citizens after 1997.
2.
Comparison may be made with the arrangements for the loss
and retention of citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies,
(CUKC) as each dependency became an independent Commonwealth country. Generally speaking, those connected with the newly independent country did not lose CUKC status if they, their
fathers or paternal grandfathers were born, registered or
naturalised in the UK or a remaining dependency.
Government Proposals
3.
All those who derive their British Dependent Territories
citizenship by virtue of a connection solely or partly with Hong
The Hong Kong will no longer have that citizenship after 1997.
nature of the connection is described in Article 2 of the draft
Order. Article 3 withdraws citizenship from those people.
Line to Take
4.
It
There is no precedent for the Hong Kong situation. would be wrong and contrary to the UK Memorandum associated with the Joint Declaration and the Hong Kong Act to allow those whose claim to citizenship is partly based on their connection with Hong Kong to retain that citizenship after the connection is
broken in 1997.
5.
are
The UK Memorandum refers to "all persons who
by virtue of a connection with Hong Kong, British Dependent Territories citizens". Paragraph 2(1) of the Schedule to the
Hong Kong Act 1985 states inter alia,
a)
British Dependent Territories citizenship cannot be retained or acquired on or after the