TNAG-2182-FCO40-3119-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 137

UNCLASSIFIED

FM EAST BERLIN

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 498

OF 201515Z AUGUST 90

7

UNCLASSIFIED

нко

TOP COPY

HK 3400 DIST?

RECEIVED

2 1 AUG 1990

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

321

102177

MDLIAN 4312

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE BM BERLIN, BONN, PEKING, HANOI, UKREP BRUSSELS

HONG KONG INVESTORS OFFERED GDR CITIZENSHIP

SUMMARY

1. GDR CABINET TO CONSIDER PROPOSAL TO GIVE HONG KONG INVESTORS GDR CITIZENSHIP IN RETURN FOR LONG TERM INVESTMENT PROGRAMME. FUTURE OF VIETNAMESE IN GDR ALSO BEING CONSIDERED.

DETAIL

2. A GDR GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON 17 AUGUST CONFIRMED A REPORT IN THE FRG NEWSPAPER ''SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG'' IT IS PROPOSED THAT INVESTORS FROM HONG KONG SHOULD BE GIVEN GDR CITIZENSHIP IN RETURN FOR SIZEABLE INVESTMENT IN THE GDR ECONOMY. HE DID NOT DENY THE NEWSPAPER'S REFERENCE TO 52 HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN AND INDUSTRIALISTS WHO WERE SAID TO HAVE OFFERED DM 15 BILLION WORTH OF INVESTMENT CREDIT.

3.

THE GDR CABINET WILL CONSIDER A PROPOSAL FROM GDR INTERIOR MINISTER DIESTEL TO TAKE UP THE OFFER OF 25 YEAR CREDITS

AND GIVE THE INVESTORS GDR CITIZENSHIP (AS THEY HAVE THE POWER

TO DO).

4.

THE CABINET WILL ALSO CONSIDER PROPOSALS TO PERMIT VIETNAMESE TO REMAIN IN THE GDR WHEN THEIR CONTRACTS EXPIRE.

COMMENT

5. WE ASSUME THAT A HOLDER OF GDR CITIZENSHIP WILL BE ENTITLED TO FEDERAL GERMAN CITIZENSHIP AFTER UNIFICATION AND THEN BE ABLE TO SETTLE ANYWHERE IN THE EC, INCLUDING THE UK. KINGSTON MAY PROVE MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN BITTERFELD.

EYERS

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