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agreement to differ. As Sir A Donald points out, the line that this is an internal affair for HMG is consistent with their general line that China accepts HMG's responsibility for the administration of Hong Kong until 1997.
7.
It is also undoubtedly the case that the Chinese line is partly conditioned by the fact that they do not consider that any changes to the nationality status of Hong Kong BDTCs is on the cards. They can therefore afford to keep their views to themselves.
8.
It is just possible, but in my view unlikely, that Zhou Nan understood Mr Rowland's question, in which he spoke of British Overseas Citizens (not BDTCS) to refer only to the Indian ethnic minority in Hong Kong, who would become BOCS after 1997.
9.
All this serves to underline the need for clarification of Chinese thinking, particularly since this is an issue to which the Committee are certain to revert in the next session of formal evidence in June. It would therefore be very desirable for Sir A Donald to find out more about the Chinese position, perhaps in the course of a general meeting with Zhou Nan about the Committee's visit as a whole. In raising the nationality issue, Sir A Donald would have to make it clear that HMG had taken no view on what changes if any might be considered.
FR Panc
A R Paul
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