95
15.(3) The anomaly of protecting children of
immigrants and not residents in the New Territories.
I have tried to show in paragraph 15 of this minute that the case of Liang Toaffords no sufficient ground for holding that His Majesty's Government have decided to abandon the protection of residents in the New Territories. If I am correct Sir F.H. May's argu-
ments are not valid.
16.
The Chinese Law of Nationality.
The law re-affirms the old claim of the
Chinese Government that all persons born of a Chinese father who was a subject of China either before or after his death, and all persons born of a Chinese mother when the father is unknown or has no nationality are subjects of China whether born within or without the Empire. (Article 1.)
Articles 3 to 10 deal with the acquisition
of Chinese nationality.
Articles 11, 17, 18 deal with the procedure necessary to abandon Chinese nationality; but the point which concerns Anglo-Chinese is Chapter V special rules for those who have abandoned Chinese nationality without sanction before the enforcement of the Law.) Rules 1 and 2 prescribe the means by which nationality may be abandoned.
In so far as they admit the possibility of such a proceeding, the rules mark a great step in advance. I think that any Chinese who desires formally to renounce his Chinese Nationality should be encouraged to do so; it will simplify matters enormously, and the question of double rationality will become considerably
less