To go back to earlier questions, that does not of course mean that there may not be circumstances in which somebody who did acquire their passport under the BNS Scheme is actually, with good evidence, a dual national. That will happen. I gave an example a moment or two ago. But the Honourable gentleman's clear assessment of the situation was correct. You turn up at the British Consulate with a British passport - whatever Chinese officials have said, whatever any officials anywhere have said - if you have got a British passport, legally issued by the British Government, that's that.
Mrs Selina Chow (in Chinese): Thank you Mr President. I believe that many Members here will recall that in fact the LegCo has asked many, many times, questions about this issue of Hong Kong people holding British passports and whether or not they will be accorded British consular protection after 1997,and I think my colleagues will agree with me that never has there been a clear answer. And today the Governor makes it clear to us that a British passport obtained under the BNSS is no different from other British passports; they are all British passports, they enjoy the same status, there is no question of a second-class passport.
Well, our concern is when a Hong Kong person holds a British passport, whether it is a passport obtained under the BNSS or a passport obtained after residence in the United Kingdom, will he be accorded consular protection after 1997? Because yesterday we read a statement from the FCO and just now the Governor also mentioned that how the passport is obtained will not produce any different treatment to the holder. Now if a person holding this passport under the BNSS approaches the British Consulate, here it is said that 'without acceptable evidence of dual nationality'. The statement seems to be saying that if somebody is to come up with some other evidence of dual nationality then the consular protection offered may be different.
Now can the Governor tell us clearly what is meant by 'acceptable evidence of dual nationality'? For an ordinary person in Hong Kong, after 1997 he will be treated as a Chinese citizen, so is that an acceptable evidence of dual nationality? If that is the case, then does it mean that whoever, holding a British passport and approaching the British Consulate may be turned away?
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Governor: I said earlier that it is not for the Chinese authorities to say who is or who is not a British citizen. And I also, carlier I think the Honourable lady at the time - I don't say it critically I think was studying the Basic Law I said earlier that I could give one perfectly straightforward example of what would presumably be regarded by most fair-minded people as acceptable evidence of dual nationality, and that is the holding of an SAR passport, since an SAR passport declares very explicitly that the bearer of this passport is a Chinese citizen. If you actually have one of these passports and travel on it with that written inside, it would be quite difficult for a British Consul- General to argue that dual nationality did not apply. I am sure the Honourable lady would accept that point.