TNAG-0902-FCO40-1112-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1979 — Page 10

17

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 340||

зна

RECEIVED READERY NO. 51

11

GG 240

CONFIDENTIAL

A PEKING 198353Z OCT 79

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 922 CF 19 OCTOBER 79|

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

DESK OF SUBM

INDEX

PA

Action Takz

Mo PW23/x

YOUR TELNO 611: NATIONALITY BILL

t

(20

124

126

1. THERE SEEM TO BE THREE POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS OF A CHANGE IN TITLE, AND THEREBY APPARENT CHANGE IN STATUS, OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS THAT WOULD WORRY THE CHINESE:

A) IT MIGHT SEEM THAT THE U.K. WAS UNILATERALLY SEVERING LINKS WITH HONG KONG, THEREBY MOVING AHEAD OF CHINESE PLANS AND THREATENING CONFIDENCE,

B) IN DOING SO, A SEPARATE HONG KONG NATIONALITY AND IDENTITY MIGHT BE CREATED,

C) CONVERSELY, IT MIGHT APPEAR THAT THE U.K. WAS ATTEMPTING TO RECONFIRM THE LINK, THE BRITISHNESS OF PEOPLE BORN IN HONG KONG, AND THEREBY SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE TERRITORY,

2. ALL OF THESE SUSPICIONS CAN TO A CERTAIN EXTENT BE ALLAYED BY EXPLANATIONS THAT IN PRACTICE THE STATUS OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED, BUT THIS IN ITSELF WILL MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHY A CHANGE IN NOMENCLATURE SHOULD BE NECESSARY. ALSO, IN THE EVENT OF A CHANGE IN NAME, ANY PUBLICITY DESIGNED TO REASSURE HONG KONG BRITISH SUBJECTS OF THEIR CONTINUED RIGHTS, WHILST DISPOSING OF FEARS A) AND B) ABOVE MIGHT HEIGHTEN SUSPICIONS OF C).

3. FROM THE PEKING POINT OF VIEW IT WOULD THEREFORE BE BETTER IF THERE WERE NO CHANG IN NOMENCLATURE. IF CHANGE IS UNAVOIDABLE, IT WILL PROBABLY MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE WHICH NEW NAME IS CHOSEN: THE CHINESE REGARD NEARLY ALL HONG KONG CUKCS AS CITIZENS OF THE PRC (AND DO NOT RECOGNISE DUAL NATIONALITY). BUT IF ANYTHING, (11) OF HK TELNO 1421 MIGHT BE MARGINALLY PREFERABLE TO (111) OR (IV), AS REPRESENTING THE LEAST CHANGE AND NOT AROUSING WORRIES ALONG THE LINES OF D) ABOVE.

GARS

Mt Cockratki

COPIES TO

Nong Kong Govt Offre

LONDON

મળતુ રહે ફળ કહી દી

N.TO

NO, FIER

CONFIDENTIAL