with the United Kingdom or with a dependent territory or former
dependency as the case may be. Thus people connected with former
dependencies generally became British Overseas citizens. There are some
two million BOCs in the world, of whom about 800,000 have no other
nationality. To grant British citizenship rather than BOC, to the
non-ethnic Chinese would have implications for these.
d) BDTCs of Indian origin in Hong Kong have made it plain
through their Council that they wish to continue to live in Hong
Kong. Granting them British citizenship, and thus right of abode
in the United Kingdom, will not help to do this. Their future
is safeguarded by the agreement.
e)
There is no substance in the suggestion (made by the
Council of Hong Kong Indian Associations) that the Agreement
with the Chinese, or the provisions of Article 6, are racially
based. The Government recognise an obligation to ensure that
no-one is left stateless in 1997. The provisions made will
apply to any former Hong Kong BDTCS, whatever their ethnic
origin, who do not become BN (0)s and who would otherwise be
stateless, and their children and grandchildren. All Hong Kong
BDTCS, whatever their ethnic origin, will be entitled to acquire
BN (0) status.
f) The provisions of Article 6 will enable non-ethnic Chinese
Hong Kong BDTCs and their descendents to retain a form of British
nationality for 3 generations, until about the middle of the
next century. By then the link with Britain will be more than
tenuous. The Government believe that the right way for these
people who are living in what will by then have been part of
China for over 50 years will be to seek Chinese nationality.
g)
The position would be exactly the same if the non-ethnic
Chinese BDTCs were to be granted British citizenship. It has been
a principle of our nationality law for many years that our citizen-
ship can be transmitted to only one generation born abroad. The
children born outside the United Kingdom after 1997 to non-ethnic
Chinese would therefore be British citizens by descent, and could
not transmit that citizenship to the next generation, ie the
grandchildren. That generation will have an entitlement to
D1.2