CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 334

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Enclosure No. 1 in No. 374 (4478/22) to Foreign Office, 27/6/22

i u Pu Note to Dutch Legation, of June 20th. 1911.

air.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's Note to the following effect;-

*It has been arreed that in the event of Chinese who have assumed Dutch nationality being desirous, on their return to China, of retaining the same, tney hould within and three months of their return report to a Dutch Consul, that if they propose to make a prolonged sta in China they should during the first three months of each eɔlar year again report to a Dutch Consul; ersons who fail to take these steps being considered as having lost their Dutch nationality.

"I fear, however, that Chinese who may be of Lut ch nationality owing to their compliance with the steps above laid down may for their own advantage pretend to the general public to be of Chinese nationality, thus being at one time

Chinese, at another time Dutch. Ruch action is most improper, Again it is possible that an individual without any intention- al nretence on his part but simply in ignorance of his nation-

ality may also give rise to mistakes. This algo ie an improper state of affairs, and steps should be taken to guard against

it.

"In my opinion these evils will be sufficiently guard-

ed against if organs of Chinese administration are made aware

of the names of persons registered at Dutch Consulates in China; for the organs in question will then know that they should treat

persons so registered as Dutch subjects.

"For the time being ry Government is ready to agree

that the names of all those who have registered themselves ab

Dutch Consulates in China should be communicated by me to Your

Excellency's