CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 215
OF 17110OZ JANUARY 90
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC340/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
12 1990
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
in
024136
MDLIAN 0996
Nat: Chinese altitude.
TO PEKING: PLEASE PASS A COPY TO KEVIN HO VISITING
UK NATIONALITY SCHEME: CHINESE COMMENTS
1. LU PING WAS WIDELY REPORTED TO HAVE MADE THE FOLLOWING POINTS
DURING A PRESS INTERVIEW YESTERDAY
(A) THE SCHEME WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE CNL AND CHINA WOULD MAKE APPROPRIATE RESPONSES. THOSE WHO HAD SETTLED IN HONG KONG AND
OBTAINED BRITISH CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE OF THE 1997 PROBLEM WOULD STILL BE REGARDED AS CHINESE NATIONALS. ACCORDING TO THE CNL, APPLICATION FOR RENUNCIATION OF CHINESE NATIONALITY WOULD ONLY BE APPROVED IT IT WAS BACKED BY ADEQUATE REASONS:
(B) THE MEMORANDA ATTACHED TO THE JD WERE NOT UNILATERAL STATEMENTS: EACH WORD AND EACH SENTENCE THEREIN HAD BEEN DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. IF BRITAIN CONTRAVENED ITS MEMORANDUM, THE CHINESE SIDE COULD RE-INTERPRET THEIRS:
(C) THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT EXPECTED THE SCHEME TO INVOLVE GRANT OF BCSHIP: RATHER THEY HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE BY VIEWS CONTAINED IN THE FAC REPORT AND BY STATEMENTS MADE BY LORD GLENARTHUR AND MYSELF THAT AN OFFER OF FULL BRITISH CITIZENSHIP MIGHT CONTRAVENE THE JD AND THAT ACCORDINGLY RIGHT OF ENTRY PERMITS ONLY WOULD BE CONSIDERED:
I
(D) THOSE COVERED BY THE SCHEME WOULD BE WELCOME TO STAY IN HONG KONG AND PARTICIPATE IN ''ECONOMIC'
''ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES (NOTE: HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL REPORT ALSO MENTIONS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES), BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE ENTITLED TO BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION: AND
(E) THOSE COVERED BY THE SCHEME COULD BECOME PERMANENT RESIDENTS OF THE HKSAR, BUT THERE WOULD BE SOME RESTRICTION ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION I.E. THEY COULD NOT FILL THE POST OF CE OR BECOME PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS OF THE SARG.
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