3.
-3-
(f) For the purpose of this article the term
"British subject" shall in the case of
any person of Chinese race be deemed to
include only such persons of Chinese race
as have received Denationalisation Certi-
ficates from the Chinese Government and are
also British subjects.
70
The chief drawback to the Ambassador's proposals,
which renders them, as they stand, unacceptable to this
Government, lies in the exclusion from the definition of
"British subjects" of those Straits-born Chinese who are
British subjects in fact and in all but name, and who are
unable to obtain Denationalization Certificates from the
Chinese Government. Owing to the fact that few Straits-
born Chinese have as yet been successful in obtaining these
certificates, the effect of the Ambassador's proposals
would be to exclude the vast majority of locally incorporated
This would be an China companies from operating in China.
intolerable hardship on a section of the community which
looks upon itself as British and considers itself entitled
to the protection and benefits accruing from domicile under
the British Flag.
4.
Furthermore, there appears to be little or no
object in insisting that the chief local representative
and two-thirds of the persons having authority to sign on
behalf of a company in China shall be British subjects,
so long as the controlling interests are British, or at
least Straits-born.
It is certain that the various branches
in China of locally incorporated Chinese-owned companies
are managed in most cases by persons who are full Chinese
subjects and are not even Straits-born.
This is likely
to
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