TNAG-1359-FCO40-1800-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1985 — Page 185

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46

Nationality

principle Chinese rather than British nationality that

they should acquire. On a reading of the Chinese

Law it was not certain that such people

would be able to acquire Chinese nationality

automatically. The FCO had therefore proposed that it

might be helpful to approach the Chinese to ask them if

to the effect

that they would grant nationality almost automatically

to non-Chinese former Hong Kong BDTCs who applied for it

We didn't. they would be willing to make a statement

Gennalin

чиву

and to their children born in the Hong Kong SAR.

2.

Redacted Under FOI Exemption Sec 27(1)(a)(c)(d)

thought that the suggestion that

the children of BOCS would not be entitled automatically

to the same status would attract adverse comment. The

Council had been given to understand that it was not HMG

which was refusing transmissibility but the Chinese. He

did not see why HMG was now refusing this to a very

He did not see any difficulty in making

since those concerned would have по

small minority.

this

concession

right of abode in the United Kingdom.

3.

The Deputy Secretary (General Duties) said that

the Home Office's argument was that the whole concept of

the BNA hinged on the depth of connection with the

United Kingdom or with British dependent territory.

Even British Citizens who settled abroad might find that

had been cut from the third

UK had

their link

link with the

the UK

generation onwards.

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