TNAG-1557-FCO40-2121-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 103

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HOWE

CONFIDENTIAL

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IE

AN

THE POSITION WOULD BE EXACTLY THE SAME IF THE NON-ETHNIC CHINESE BDTCS WERE TO BE GRANTED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP. UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE OF OUR NATIONALITY LAW FOR MANY YEARS IS THAT OUR CITIZENSHIP CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO ONLY ONE GENERATION BORN ABROAD. THE CHILDREN BORN OUTSIDE THE UNITED KINGDOM AFTER 1997 TO NON-ETHNIC CHINESE WOULD THEREFORE BE BRITISH CITIZENS BY DESCENT, AND COULD NOT TRANSMIT THAT CITIZENSHIP TO THE NEXT GENERATION, THEIR GRANDCHILDREN. THAT GENERATION WILL HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION AS BRITISH CITIZENS SIMILAR TO THE PROPOSED ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION AS BOCS. SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS WILL HAVE NO AUTOMATIC CLAIM TO BRITISH CITIZENSHIP, NOR AN ENTITLEMENT TO REGISTRATION. GRANTING BRITISH CITIZENSHIP TO THE CURRENT GENERATION CANNOT THEREFORE BENÉFIT THE THIRD AND SUBSEQUENT

GENERATIONS BORN AFTER 1997.

THE GOVERNMENT HAVE ALSO MADE IT PLAIN THAT IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF ANY BRITISH NATIONAL BEING FORCED TO LEAVE HONG KONG AND HAVING NOWHERE TO GO, THEY WOULD EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY TO CONSIDER

BUT

SYMPATHETICALLY WHETHER TO ADMIT THEM, ON A CASE BY CASE

BASIS.

ENDS

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: NATIONALITY

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/NTD

RESEARCH D (MR WALKER)

DEP HD/PUSD

PS

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

SIR W HARDING MR WILSON

COPIES TO:

MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR GRAINGER, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR D MCDOUGALL, MVD

MR HYDE, HOME OFFICE

MR EMERY, B4 DIV, HOME OFFICE, CROYDON

MR NICHOLSON, PASSPORT DEPT, HOME OFFICE,

ROOM 236, CLIVE HOUSE.

MR MCDONOUGH, B2 DIV, HOME OFFICE

MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS

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CONTIDENTIAL