CONFIDENTIAL
(82
122215
MDHIAN 5860
Pa
Y
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1040
OF 26100OZ MARCH 90
HKC340
RECEIV
26 MAR 1990
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
REGISTRY Action Laz
UK NATIONALITY SCHEME : CHINESE VIEWS
·
1 LI HOU WAS REPORTED EXTENSIVELY BY THE PRESS TODAY AS HAVING SAID THAT NOT ONLY WOULD BENEFICIARIES OF THE SCHEME NOT BE ENTITLED TO BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION WHILST IN CHINA, THEY MIGHT ALSO NOT BE PERMITTED TO LEAVE AND ENTER THE SAR USING BC PASSPORTS ACQUIRED UNDER THE SCHEME. WHEN TRAVELLING IN AND OUT OF THE SAR, SUCH PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO USE SAR PASSPORTS: FOR TRAVEL TO THE MAINLAND, THEY WOULD BE EXPECTED TO USE THE HOME VISIT PERMITS. WHEN ASKED HOW IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BC PASSPORTS GRANTED UNDER THE SCHEME FROM THOSE ACQUIRED THROUGH RESIDENCE IN THE UK, LI WAS REPORTED TO HAVE ANSWERED THAT IT WAS QUOTE A TECHNICAL MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED LATER UNQUOTE.
2. RELEVANT ARTICLES FOLLOW BY FAX.
COMMENTS
3. TO DENY BENEFICIARIES THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL IN AND OUT OF THE SAR ON THEIR BC PASSPORTS WOULD PROBABLY CONTRAVENE JD 163 ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF AMBIGUITY IN THE EXPRESSION ''OTHER STATES''. IT WOULD CLEARLY CONTRAVENE THEIR UNDERTAKING IN JD 234.
4. WE VIEW LI HOU'S REMARKS AS A FURTHER ATTEMPT TO DEVALUE THE SCHEME IN THE EYES OF BOTH BRITISH MPS AND POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES. WHILST HIS COMMENTS MAY TO SOME EXTENT ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE, WE DO NOT CONSIDER IT LIKELY THAT THE CHINESE WOULD ACT ON THEM. TO DO SO WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT IN PRACTICAL TERMS SINCE IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND A WAY OF DISTINGUISHING FOREIGN PASSPORTS GRANTED UNDER THE UK SCHEME AND OTHER SIMILAR SCHEMES
FROM THOSE ACQUIRED THROUGH RESIDENCE OVERSEAS.
WILSON
YYYY
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