TNAG-0800-FCO40-1004-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-Nationality-1978 — Page 11

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You also expressed concern at the fact that Hong Kong/

British citizens are not free to work and live in Britain

if they wish to do so. But this misunderstands the nature

of a Hong Kong British passport; such a passport gives

the holder the right to re-enter Hong Kong at any time

to live and work, in the same way as the British passport

of a person who derives UK citizenship from close connection

with the UK entitles the holder at any time to return to

the UK. But there is no reason why such a passport

should give the holder special privileges in respect of

other countries, though in fact Hong Kong-British

citizens do enjoy certain privileges in their ability to

come to Britain to work, as Mr O'Keefe explained in his

reply to your earlier letter.

In your latest letter you revert to your earlier

suggestion that a Working Party should be set up to make

recommendations on policy towards Hong Kong. I do not

however think that there is any need to create a special

body for this purpose since policy towards Hong Kong is

kept constantly under review here in London in close

consultation with the Government of Hong Kong.