TNAG-1381-FCO40-1829-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 147

GPS200

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 1706152 JAN 85

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 67 OF 17/1/35

CONFIDENTAL ANDES

по

ি

и

50

(47)

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG AND UKAIS NEW YORK (FOR SIR E YOUDE}

YOUR TELNO 21: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NEW NATIONALITY TITLE

1. I CALLED ON ZHOU NAN THIS MORNING AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED. ZHOU CONFIRMED THAT THE ORIGINAL BRITISH PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE CAUSED POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES FOR THE CHINESE SIDE. IT WOULD HAVE CREATED THE IMPRESSION THAT HÙNG KONG'S STATUS AFTER 1997 WAS AMBIGUOUS. OUR WILLINGNESS TO RECONSIDER THE MATTER REFLECTED THE SPIRIT OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND ACCOMMODATION WHICH HAD PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE NEGOTIATIONS. IN HIS PERSONAL AND PRELIMINARY VIEW OUR NEW PROPOSAL REPRESENTED A BIG IMPROVEMENT. HE HAD NOTED OUR INTEREST IN AN EARLY SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE AND COULD ASSURE US THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL AND RESPOND FORMALLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

2. ZHOU THEM REFERRED TO BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP AND ASKED WHAT THE DIFFERENCE WOULD BE BETWEEN THIS AND THE STATUS OF BRITISH NATIONAL (OVERSEAS). I SAID THAT BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW WAS A VERY COMPLEX SUBJECT, BUT AS I UNDERSTOOD IT THERE WOULD BE NO SUBSTANTIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY THE TWU

CATEGORIES.

3. SEE MIFT FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION OF HONG KONG POINTS. THOMSON

HONG KONG AGREEMENT

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF

HD/PUSD

DEP HD/PUSD

RESEARCH DEPT (MR WALKER) PS

PS/MR LUCE

PS/PUS

SIR W HARD ING

MR WILSON

SIR J FREELAND

MR J CROWLEY, PUSD

COPIES TO:(VIA ADR)

MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS MR BURROWS, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR MARTIN, ASST STAFF CABINET

OFFICE

MR CARTLEDGE, CABINET OFFICE MR COLVIN, CABINET OFFICE

SIR P CRADOCK, NO 10 DOWNING ST

CONFIDENTAL