file(198
MR MCLAREN'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: BRITISH CITIZENSHIP FOR HONG KONG
CHINESE INVESTORS
HKB 027/!
Points to make with the Governor
При
Idea has support
1. Growing pressure to review our policy on granting British citizenship to potential investors from Hong Kong. of Prime Minister and Lord Young. Many proponents of idea in
business circles (eg Algy Cluff) and Parliament.
2. We will continue to resist proposals for a special scheme to attract investment from Hong Kong, on the grounds that this would
d be politically impossible. No justification for this: no evience that any other country has such a scheme targetted at Hong Kong.
3.
But we may need to consider scope for Home Secretary to interpret Immigration Rules more flexibly to enable Hong Kong investors to acquire British citizenship without having to observe
the residence requirement strictly.
4.
Governor's assessment of extent of demand for British
citizenship amongst potential investors in Hong Kong? Is UK a preferred destination? We suspect that in practice numbers involved
would be small.
5. Governor's assessment of reaction in Hong Kong if it were made known that Home Secretary was prepared to interpret the rules flexibly for a small number of Hong Kong investors?
6. There is the separate but closely related issue of British passports for Hong Kong professionals working for British/British connected companies in Hong Kong (raised eg by Lord Kadoorie with Prime Minister). No pressure so far, from either within Government or outside, for a scheme comparable to that to be introduced by
France.
CONFIDENTIAL