5
it is already settled by law. I cannot
suppose that he intends by anything that he
has written to recommend a revision of that
law. As far as concerns the definition of a
Chinese national this is set out in the
Chinese law, Most of the Chinese in Hong Kong under the provisions of the two laws are of dual nationality. How far such persons may be protected in China by British consuls against the Chinese authorities is clearly a matter for the Chinese Government to decide.
Their protection elsewhere abroad is already
provided for.
Sir C. Clementi's despatch does not
take us much farther in the direction of
formulating proposals likely to be acceptable to China in meeting possible points of doubt or
difficulty.
Apart from the fact that the Chinese
law does not recognise Sir C. Clementi's 3rd
generation British born the cry as affecting the
Chinese nationality of persons resident abroad,
(see paragraph 6) or British naturalisation
(see paragraph 8), his proposal that applica-
tions for denationalisation by persons who also possess British nationality should be sent
through His Majesty's Consuls and not direct
to the Chinese authorities is one that would
not be likely to meet with any consideration
from the National Government.
The two points which Mr. Goodman,
the Secretary for Chinese Affairs at Singapore,
has raised and which have been communicated to
the
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