UNCLASSIFIED
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 12110OZ FCO
TELNO 586
OF 120941Z APRIL 90
UNCLASSIFIED
FHKC 340
C340/1
INFO DESKBY 121100Z HONG KONG
20 AFK 1990
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
120
003004-
MDHIAN 8402
pa
Not: U
Rm 1714
BRITISH NATIONALITY SCHEME : MFA SPOKESMAN'S STATEMENT, 12 APRIL
1.
THE MFA SPOKESMAN VOLUNTEERED THE FOLLOWING AT THE WEEKLY MFA
PRESS CONFERENCE :
BEGINS
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS TIME AND AGAIN DECLARED ITS SOLEMN STAND AGAINST THE UNILATERAL DECISION OF BRITAIN TO CHANGE THE NATIONALITY OF SOME OF THE HONG KONG CHINESE CITIZENS. HOWEVER IN DISREGARD OF THE JUST DEMANDS OF THE CHINESE SIDE, THE BRITISH SIDE HAS INTRANSIGENTLY SUBMITTED THE BRITISH NATIONALITIES HONG KONG ACT 1990 TO PARLIAMENT. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT NATURALLY CANNOT IGNORE A SERIOUS BREACH BY THE BRITISH SIDE OF ITS SOLEMN COMMITMENT AND THE RELEVANT AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA.
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT REITERATES ONCE AGAIN THAT ALL HONG KONG CHINESE COMPATRIOTS WITH OR WITHOUT BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORY PASSPORTS ARE CHINESE CITIZENS. THE NATIONALITY STATUS OF HONG KONG COMPATRIOTS CAN ONLY BE DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHINA'S NATIONALITY LAW. THIS IS A MATTER WITHIN THE SCOPE OF CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS NO RIGHT TO SETTLE UNILATERALLY THE NATIONALITY STATUS OF HONG KONG CHINESE CITIZENS. WHILE RESERVING THE RIGHT TO TAKE CORRESPONDING MEASURES VIS-A-VIS THE ABOVE-MENTIONED ERRONEOUS PRACTICE OF THE BRITISH SIDE, WE STILL HOPE THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WILL SET STORE BY THE OVERALL INTERESTS OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND REFRAIN FROM DOING ANYTHING DETRIMENTAL TO THE GRADUALLY IMPROVING SINO-BRITISH
RELATIONS.
ENDS
2.
IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM THE FLOOR ABOUT CHINA'S
RESPONSE TO THE INTENTION OF OTHER COUNTRIES TO GRANT PASSPORTS, SPOKESMAN SAID THAT CHINA'S POSITION, WHICH HAD FREQUENTLY BEEN
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