TNAG-1571-FCO40-2137-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-and-passports-Hong-Kong-(Br-1986 — Page 53

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CONFIDENTIAL

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Hong Kong Chinese, whether they are BDTCs or not, are Chinese

citizens, whom they have reluctantly agreed should use a foreign

travel document (they do not recognise the BN (0) status as а

form of British nationality, nor the passport that goes with it).

6.

BN(0) repatriations are likely to continue to be few

and the overall cost to HMG of failing to recover indiviual

repatriation costs will probably be very small. One possible

way of seeking reimbursement would be to impound the passports

of BN (O)s seeking repatriation and issue in their place single-

journey travel documents, or to restrict the validity of their

passports to a single journey to Hong Kong. Such restrictions

would remain until the repatriation debt was repaid.

7.

An argument against extending an undertaking to

repatriate destitute BN (0)s to Hong Kong after 30 June 1997

is that hitherto we have repatriated British nationals to a

foreign country only in exceptional circumstances.

To estab-

lish an exception in respect of BN (O)s might set an awkward

precedent as regards BOCS living in countries other than

Hong Kong. But we could certainly argue that Hong Kong is a

unique and special case.

8.

We have invested much political capital in the BN (0)

status and in gaining worldwide acceptance for it.

Such

/acceptance

CONFIDENTIAL