10
FO
Submit obsons
ir
(6) reguiding
6. X
8
Chore purchase.
Bulish protected pessimo
Malaya
to travel
for. British subjects
of Chinese race to China.
in
It seems that we must give up the con-
tention that it would not be in order for the
Chinese to insist on the possession of Chinese
passports by persons of mixed British and Chinese
nationality when visiting China. On the other
hand, Sir Cecil Clementi apparently thought, in
fue pasand
Laban
view of our abandonment in theory of the right of
protection over such persons while in China, that
it would not be in order for the Malayan Govern-
ments to issue british passports. We suggested
to the Foreign Office that it would be in order
do and should be done. The Foreign Office it not
apparently contest that it would be in order from
the point of view of international law to issue
passports in such cases, but they suggest that
they should not in fact be issued owing to the
same special reasons for which they have not
been issued in Hong Kong.
I am not sure that we have not given
away too much in agreeing to the continuance of
the practice of not issuing british passports to
british subjects of Chinese race in Hong Kong.
The object is to avoid facilitating their entry
into the United Kingdom, but the effect is also
to make it difficult for them to travel anywhere.
It appears however impossible to go back on our
agreement so far as Hong Kong is concerned, and
although we might attempt to distinguish between
conditions in Malaya, I am doubtful whether we
should succeed.
The population is not of the
same