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WHATEVER THEIR ETHNIC ORIGIN. BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES A CONTINUED
FORM OF NATIONALITY (BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP) FOR ANY WHO
HAVE NOT BECOME BN(0)S AND WHO WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATELESS, AND
FOR ANY CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN OF FORMER BRITISH DEPENDENT
TERRITORIES CITIZENS IN A SIMILAR POSITION. WE ARE FULLY
SATISFIED THAT IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES BRITISH OVERSEAS
CITIZENSHIP IS THE RIGHT CITIZENSHIP AND THAT IT PROPERLY
REFLECTS THE POSITION OF THESE CITIZENS IN HONG KONG. BRITISH
CITIZENSHIP CANNOT OF ITSELF SECURE ANYONE'S FUTURE IN HONG KONG.
THIS IS ASSURED UNDER THE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT WHICH IS
INTERNATIONALLY BINDING.
CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU SUGGEST IN YOUR LETTER OF 17
FEBRUARY, NON-ETHNIC CHINESE PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG
WILL HAVE THE RIGHT OF ABODE THERE AS A MATTER OF LAW. PARAGRAPH
3(12) OF THE JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES THAT THE BASIC POLICIES
OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA STATED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION
AND THE ELABORATION OF THEM IN ANNEX 1 OF THE DECLARATION
(INCLUDING THE RIGHT OF ABODE PROVISIONS IN SECTION XIV) WILL BE
STIPULATED IN A BASIC LAW OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE
REGION, AND WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED FOR 50 YEARS.
THUS THE NATIONALITY PROVISIONS OF THE ORDER AND THE
RIGHT OF ABODE PROVISIONS IN THE JOINT DECLARATION TOGETHER
GUARANTEE A FORM OF BRITISH NATIONALITY AND A PLACE TO LIVE AS A
MATTER OF RIGHT UNTIL ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT CENTURY.
CLEARLY IT WOULD NOT BE SENSIBLE FOR ME TO ATTEMPT TO JUDGE WHAT
THE POSITION WILL BE BY THEN. BUT THE GOVERNMENT DO NOT BELIEVE
IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO GRANT BRITISH NATIONALITY WHETHER BRITISH
CITIZENSHIP OR BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP INDEFINITELY TO
FUTURE GENERATIONS BORN OUTSIDE THE UNITED KINGDOM. THIS WOULD
BE CONTRARY TO THE PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE BRITISH NATIONALITY
ACT 1981. OUR PRESENT VIEW IS THAT BY THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT
CENTURY IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO EXPECT THOSE WHO WILL HAVE BEEN
LIVING IN THIS REGION FOR SO MANY YEARS TO APPLY FOR CHINESE
NATIONALITY. WE WOULD NOT EXPECT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, ANY
MORE THAN ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT, TO GIVE A FIRM GUARANTEE THAT
THEY WILL GRANT CHINESE NATIONALITY TO ANYONE WHO APPLIES FOR IT.
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