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7.
British citizenship for ethnic minorities
There are about 11,500 ethnic minority BDTCs in Hong Kong, who
have no other nationality, and about 60,000 who could apply for
BDTC status. The Government do not think it would be right to
create such a large and uncertain immigration commitment after 1997.
We have fully met undertakings we gave during passage of the Hong
Kong Act, that no former BDTC, nor any children born after 30 June
1997 to such a person, would become stateless as a result of the
Joint Declaration.
Of course we recognise that there is some continuing concern among the ethnic minority BDTCs in Hong Kong. That is why I am happy to repeat our assurance that we should consider it an obligation upon any future government to treat with very
considerable and particular sympathy the case for admission to the
UK of any individual British national who, against all our
expectations, came under pressure to leave Hong Kong. This is a
very clear assurance to the members of the minority community in
Hong Kong.
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