TNAG-0503-FCO40-568-Immigration-and-nationality-policy-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 4

FNUTME WTTON FETI

MFA 2/548/3

MB 1670

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Please resabant

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Who Gove mavailable

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Mr Grove (Nationality and Treaty Department CL 527)

UK NATIONALS

По

Status of Bito

public discussion

we shall have to

Rise discuss with Ne TD

NETD

.ona.

1. The Investment Protection Agreement which, initialled with Singapore last week defins our as "persons who are citizens of the mited Kyd om Colonies, British subjects by virtue of section 2, 16 of the British Nationality Act 1948 or the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1965 and British protected persons". We told the Singapore Government as we had told other Governments that a comprehensive definition our nationals would include "citizens of Rhodesia" but like all other Governments with which we have discussed this question the Government of Singapore have told us that would be politically impossible for them to sign an Agreement with us which in terms was designed both to promote ard to protect Southern Rhodesian investments in Singapore.

2.

19/12

We

Mr Aust and I were asked by the Singaporeans for full guidance on the remaining categories of our nationals. did our best to comply with this in the course of negotiations drawing upon our previous experience but we were conscious of the lack of a full brief. We got by this time but we are very clear that we shall need such a comprehensive brief before we embark on negotiations with Malaysia early next year. They have already put a number of searching points to us in relation to our definition of

nationals and have in particular suggested that the scope of an Agreement might be confined to UK citizens resident or with the right of abode in the United Kingdom itself.

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w/L.

3.

we

What we need is a brief explaining the different categories of our nationals and giving an estimate of the overall total of nationals in each category and of the

We shall also need countries in which they are resident. particular briefing on "the Queen's Chinese" of whom understand there may be as many as 20,000 in Malaysia. What is their exact position in terms of our Nationality Law?

It Are their numbers increasing or decreasing? would also be helpful to know whether we have hitherto given them protection in Malaysia.

4. Governments in South-east Asia have so far been reluctant to extend these Agreements to cover Hong Kong. I think there are both political and commercial reasons for this. They are all extremely reluctant to bring Hong Kong companies within the scope of the Agreement and it took considerable effort on our part to persuade the Singapore Government to include individual citizens who

the Agreement. belong to Hong Kong in

Our task will be

We even more difficult both in Malaysia and Indonesia. need full briefing on the breakdown of the population in Hong Kong which will enable us to answer the following questions:-

(a) How many people in Hong Kong are full citizens of the

United Kingdom and Colonies? (b) How many are British subjects without citizenship?

(၁)

Are

CONTINUOTAT