CO129-543-8 Issue of passports and travel certificates to Chinese people born in Hong Kong 20-2-1933 - 27-9-1933 — Page 3

3.

*

see in this connection the F.D. circular to

which the for refers - (38) on 70013/30 Geul.

the number of British subjects of Chinese

race visiting China with British passports,

owing to the dual nationality problem.

as the Governor explains in (1) these

considerations are no longer of the same

weight.

unemployment, Owing to world-wide facilities for

migration of labourcan now be with-held any-

*

where without causing criticism; and the

Governor of Hong Kong proposes in fact to

with-hold passport facilities from all but the

business and professional classes. In this

connection it must however be remembered that

the existing conditions can hardly last

indefinitely, and that a return to prosperity

may bring about once more the situation which

previously existed.I do not think, however,

this possibility is, in the existing circumstances,

a sufficient reason for turning down the

Governor's proposals.

Provided the passports issued to Hong

Kong British-born Chinese are marked as not

valid for China, the F.0. will not, I think,

raise any objection to the proposal

? Send copies of (1) to F.0. and H.0.

telling each + reference (5) and (2) on 82797/31,saying that

if they see no objection, the Secretary of

State proposes to approve the grant of

full passports for the U.K. to Chinese of

the business and professional classes who can

prove Hong Kong birth and prove satisfactory

evidence