establishment, the PRC has declared on various occasions that all Hong
whether they are British Subjects or not, are
Kong Chinese compatriots,
Chinese nationals.
conveyed.
and
Through the following ways, that message has been
Firstly, in their reference to the Chinese in Hong Kong, officially
unofficially, China always called them "compatriots." (|
(1912)
Even when they refer to all Chinese who stay in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan
and abroad, they call the former as "compatriots" and Chinese abroad as
"Overseas Chinese" to differentiate them. "Compatriots" means Chinese
nationals who live in Chinese sovereign territory, while "Overseas
Chinese" refers to those who live in foreign territory. This reference
is very consistent. On the other hand, they have never separated
"British Subject" from "Compatriots" when Hong Kong Chinese are
mentioned.
Secondly, it is even more significant to see that no Hong Kong
British subject passports have been accepted for those Chinese holders
9
apply for a visa to enter China. Instead, the Chinese British
who apply
subject passport holders would be granted a travel document,
called
"compatriot certificate.' According to several sources reached by this
writer, China's official agents in Hong Kong do not refuse to accept
Subject passports for Hong Kong Chinese, but they simply delay
British
the visa application process to an indefinite date, or simply provide no
reply to discourage the use of British passports for Hong Kong Chinese.
The normal length of time for obtaining a visa to China is about three
days. For applicants, who use British Subject passport as travel
document, it could be delayed for a few months without even receiving a
reply. To travel into China with a "compatriot certificate" legally
puts a traveler into the status of a Chinese national. There are
several cases of British citizens (CUKCs) of Hong Kong (ethnic Chinese),
5