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arrangements exempting transient visitors from
the operation of the Chinese nationality law.
I put proposals in this sense before the Minister
for Foreign Affairs in February, 1930, and have
since reminded him of the matter on several occasi-
ons. Dr Wang has always when pressed replied that
it is being studied by the competent department of
his Government. But I have received the impression
that the Chinese Government are not in fact inter-
ested in our proposals, which are made too late.
That is to say, the Chinese Covernment consider
that the days of Extra-territoriality are numbered
and that the Chinese nationality law is in any
case already applicable to British subjects of
Chinese race in China. It is therefore doubtful
whether any cut-and-dried settlement on the lines
we propose will ever be concluded, and for the
moment at least the question of these negotiations
is quiescent (see my telegram No. 208 of September
19th, 1930).
3. Apart, however, from this aspect of
the problem of "Anglo-Chinese" (1.e. their status
in China), I had already come to the same con-
clusion as that contained in the correspondence in
your despatch under a cknowledgment, that is to
say that the proper attitude for us to adopt
towards the activities of the Chinese Consula in
Malaya was to recognise ourselves, and equally
require the Chinese Government to recognise, the
double nationality of these people, that is to
say, that they are British when in British territory
and