TNAG-1384-FCO40-1832-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-citizenship-1985 — Page 183

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and in the United Kingdom. Accordingly it has arranged for this

White Paper to be published simultaneously by the Hong Kong

Government. It intends to allow sufficient time for opinion to

become known before initiating the debates referred to in the

previous paragraph. To assist the process of public consideration

the rest of this White Paper sketches in the background of

international obligation and legal requirement with which the new

nationality provisions must accord and provides a commentary on the

provisions of the draft Order.

Background

4. The Agreement on the future of Hong Kong was accompanied by an

exchange of Memoranda between the two Governments which set out

their respective positions as to nationality by virtue of a

connection with Hong Kong (Cmnd 9352). The Chinese Government

stated its view that all Hong Kong Chinese compatriots, whether

British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC) passport holders or

not, are Chinese nationals. But in view of the history of Hong Kong

and its realities, the Chinese Government will permit Chinese

nationals in Hong Kong to continue to use travel documents issued by

the Government of the United Kingdom. The UK Government for its

part stated that all those who on 30 June 1997 are BDTCs by

connection with Hong Kong will cease to have that status from

1 July 1997, but will be eligible to retain an appropriate status

which will enable them to continue to use British passports,

provided that they obtain such a passport before 1 July 1997 (or

31 December 1997 if born in the first six months of that year).

citizenship will not be acquired on or after 1 July 1997 by virtue

of a connection with Hong Kong. Arrangements will be made for the

renewal and replacement of the new passports by United Kingdom

Consular Officers, and for the holders of such passports to receive

British Consular protection when in third countries.

The new

5. Her Majesty's Government intends to honour in full the

commitments which follow from the British Memorandum.

nationality status will not be transmissible to any subsequent

generations and only those people who are already BDTCs by virtue

BDT