[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned to the Foreign Ofoe if not required for official use.]
From CHINA.
Decode.
Sir M. Lampson (Peking).
22nd November, 1928.
D.
12.45 p.m. 22nd November, 1928.
R.
9.00 a.m. 22nd November, 1928.
No. 1377. (R).
33
Hongkong telegram to Secretary of State for
the Colonies of November 17th regarding Anglo-
Chinese.
While reserving final opinion until I have re-
ceived Hongkong despatch following are my comments:-
1. While Chinese may be considered unreasonable
in going back number of generations to claim that
Chinese nationality still exists and it may be per-
haps possible at some favourable opportunity to get
some agreement on the point jus sanguinis Chinese are
right and in England we have gone long way to adopting
jus sanguinis ourselves.
2.
Hongkong paragraph 5B appears to re-open the
whole question. Answer to this point is that as long
as persons in question remain in Hongkong no question
arises but that in China we are prepared to recognise
reasonable Chinese nationality law.
3. We cannot dictate to Chinese over this. To
my mind we have been lucky to get Canton arrangement
and if we now make difficulties Chinese easily might
and probably will go back on it.
Addressed to the Foreign Office No. 1377.
Repeated to Hongkong for Canton No. 154.
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