TNAG-1259-FCO40-1599-The-Future-of-Hong-Kong---special-study-by-FCO--August-1982--1983 — Page 245

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Government already regard all Hong Kong Chinese as Chinese citizens there might be scope for an

agreement whereby all persons connected with

Hong Kong by birth, descent, marriage etc should

(with appropriate exceptions) be formally accorded the status of citizens of the PRC, it

being understood that they would not thereby be

precluded from possessing in addition a British

citizenship, such as BDTC or BPP, or a local Hong Kong citizenship. There is no impediment to 'dual citizenship' in UK law, but the

PRC's Nationality Law, promulgated in 1980, specifically excludes this

concept.

B.

Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region (SAR)

11. The options described above would theoretically be open if

Hong Kong became formally a Special Administrative Region, so

long as Britain retained responsibility for (or responsibility

for the conduct of) external affairs. But it might be less easy

to negotiate the retention of the status quo (option 1), or

variants of it (options 2, 3, 4 and 5). The Chinese might

press for exclusive Chinese citizenship (option 7). A local

Hong Kong citizenship (option 6) or dual citizenship (option 8)

could be negotiable.

British Nationals

12. Whatever citizenship is decided on, Hong Kong are likely

to press for some kind of declaration (preferably statutory)

that the people of Hong Kong are 'British nationals'.

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