1.
CONFIDENTIAL
Notes on points made by
Dr. A. Kuehn at lunch meeting on 10/10/85
2.
Whether waiver of visa for Hong Kong residents would apply to Chinese nationals living in Hong Kong after 1997. More stringent restrictions are likely to be imposed on the nationals of a Communist state.
A.
The visa-waiver arrangements being sought would apply only to British Hong Kong passport holders. Visa requirements for Chinese nationals not holding British passports living in the Hong Kong SAR are a different matter. In accordance with the Joint Declaration, no British passports may be issued to Hong Kong BDTCs after 1 July 1997 (except for children born in the first half of 1997 who may acquire BN (0) passports up to 31 December). Thus nationals of Communist China who were not BDTCs before 1 July 1997 would not be eligible to hold British passports.
2.
Q.
A.
The possibility of an exodus of residents from Hong Kong arising nearer 1997 cannot be ruled out, in which case there might be a good case for imposing visas for Hong Kong passport holders.
Concede that an exodus nearer 1997 cannot be ruled out. But no reason why visa requirements for Hong Kong passport holders must be retained on the off- chance that an exodus might arise nearer 1997. Even if that happened, it is doubtful whether a visa system would be the best means of keeping out illegal immigrants. People bent on overstaying could always enter as members of tour groups who had obtained visas. Furthermore if trends of Hong Kong passport holders overstaying in Germany developed, the FRG could always re-introduce visa requirements for Hong Kong passport holders. For example UKG had recently introduced visa requirements for nationals of Sri Lanka because of problems caused by Sri Lankan nationals seeking refuge in the UK. But such re- quirements could be removed as soon as the circum- stances returned to normal.
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