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I do not believe that there is any way in which Chinese authorities will know how somebody acquired a British passport. But I must say that the Honourable lady has touched on the reason why this issue causes so much concern to people. There was a statement in the Hong Kong Standard this morning which I regard as particularly chilling. And I very much hope that the Xinhua News Agency will disclaim that statement. Let me read it out to the Legislative Council:
An official of the Xinhua News Agency, Beijing's representative office in Hong Kong, said that identified BNSS passport holders would be regarded as Chinese Nationals even if they had lived in Britain and returned to Hong Kong as British citizens. China would be able to trace such people even though their files were kept by Britain, the official said, on condition of anonymity.
What is it, what state of mind is it that brings people to make statements like that when what we are all attempting to do is to give people in Hong Kong reassurances about their future, about their future stability and about their future freedoms?
I can give this Legislative Council, this Honourable House, all the assurance - supported by the British Prime Minister and Cabinet all the assurance at my command about the status of a British passport, however it was acquired, after 1997. What I cannot do is to pretend to this House that the way that Chinese nationality law is framed and the way it is often implemented does not cause worries and shocks. It does that now in China. I invite Members to consider the consular cases involving other countries. I invite them to consider the case of Mr James Pang(?) There is a case of somebody with an Australian passport who has the greatest consular difficulties because of the way that Chinese officials interpret their nationality law.
Now if that attitude obtains in Hong Kong after 1997 there will clearly be a large number of arguments on consular issues, not just with Britain - not just with Britain but with other countries who have citizens holding a passport in Hong Kong. That is the truth of the matter and Members in this Legislative Council know that to be the case.
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So I hope we can have less of this sort of chilling statement and a little more reassurance, and a little less of seeming to want to target people who have this particular passport or that. Those who are advising Chinese Mainland officials, those who are joining other organisations in Shenzhen, have a particular responsibility, in my judgment, to make sure that statements like that are not made.