Emigration
The other key problem of concern to Hong Kong is emigration. Hong Kong, with its highly mobile population, has always had a strong tradition of emigration (just as it has been subject to fluctuating flows of immigrants from China: some 28,000 legal immigrants and 21,000 illegal ones in 1988). What is new is the increasing number of qualified professional people (about 10,000 in 1988) who are leaving Hong Kong. This trend remains manageable but is being carefully monitored. The Hong Kong Government are taking various steps to contain the effects of emigration, such as stepping up higher education and training so that qualified people are available to fill the gaps left by those who go, and measures to make it easier for people settled abroad to return to Hong Kong with their families. We are also making clear that Hong Kong people are free to leave the territory if they wish. But we must at the same time be careful to ensure that, by our own words and actions, we are not seen to be actively encouraging the flow of talent and capital from the territory.
Nationality
There is still concern and resentment in Hong Kong about nationality matters, and in particular about the fact that holders of Hong Kong British passports do not have the right of abode in this country. Some people in the territory and in this country believe that Britain should open its doors more widely to Hong Kong British passport holders. This feeling is not new: it has existed since the early 1960s when restrictions were first introduced. But the controversy reawakens each
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