SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1072
OF 28043OZ MARCH 90
SECRET
HKC340
RECER
CORRECTED VERSION
30 MAR 1998
DESK OFF INDEX
STRY
Avian, Faken
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JUG HONG KONG
(93
1305X0
MDHIAN 6187
Pa
WH 288/3
OUR TELNO 1060: UK NATIONALITY SCHEME: BRIEFING THE CHINESE
1. AS ADVISED IN TUR, WE HAVE FAXED TO YOU AND PEKING A CONSOLIDATED SPEAKING NOTE FOR HMA, PEKING TO USE IN BRIEFING THE MFA. PARAGRAPH 18 OF THIS SPEAKING NOTE NEEDS TO BE REVISED AS SET OUT BELOW: GRATEFUL IF YOU AND PEKING WOULD SUBSTITUTE IT FOR THE
ORIGINAL.
2. WE UNDERSTAND THAT PEKING HAVE NOT YET OBTAINED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE MFA AND ARE AWAITING YOUR CLEARANCE OF THE SPEAKING NOTE. GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD SEND THEM A TRIGGER TELEGRAM.
REVISED PARAGRAPH 18 BEGINS :
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO RESPOND TO SPECIFIC CONCERNS RAISED BY THE CHINESE SIDE, CULMINATING IN THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON 1 MARCH BY A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, THAT THE SCHEME CONTRAVENES EITHER THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION OR THE ASSOCIATED MEMORANDA EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. THE SPOKESMAN DID NOT SAY TO WHICH PROVISIONS HE WAS REFERRING. IF HE WAS THINKING OF THE BRITISH MEMORANDUM, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FROM GRANTING FULL CITIZENSHIP TO ANYONE. IT REFERS TO
-
''ALL PERSONS WHO ON 30 JUNE 1997 ARE, BY VIRTUE OF A CONNECTION WITH HONG KONG, BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES CITIZENS (BDTCS) UNDER THE LAW IN FORCE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
NONE OF THE BENEFICIARIES OF THE SCHEME WILL BE SUCH PERSONS. FAR FROM BEING CONTRARY TO ANY UNDERTAKING GIVEN BY THE BRITISH SIDE, THE NATIONALITY SCHEME IS STRICTLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS JD 30 CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS, AND OUR DUTY TO DO ALL WE CAN TO PRESERVE HONG KONG:S ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND SOCIAL STABILITY. THE WHOLE OBJECT OF OUR SCHEME IS TO KEEP IN HONG KONG SOME OF THE KEY PEOPLE WHO ARE NEEDED FOR THIS PURPOSE.
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