TNAG-2373-FCO40-3448-Hong-Kong-nationality-UK-passport-scheme-British-Nationalit-1991 — Page 61

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Mr Alan Paul Head of HKD

FCO

HKD 340/4

Dear Alan,

BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION

HONG KONG.

25 February 1991

pot. 28/2

I have rephed

No20/2

THE BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE HONG KONG NATIONALITY PACKAGE

1. You will be aware from our reporting, and from various letters that they have sent to the British Ministers, that the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has been, and remains, very critical of the passport package.

2.

I enclose a copy of a draft statement which will feature as the monthly message from the Chairman, Dick Povey of Swire Engineering, which features on the first page of the Chamber's magazine. This draft was discussed briefly at today's monthly General Management Committee Meeting of the Chamber and found general approval. I told them that they were taking a slight risk approving such a message just four days before the deadline for passport applications since it was not possible to say at this stage how far the scheme would be under subscribed. It is a subject however about which the Chamber feels strongly and they were not in a mood to delay or modify their message. I imagine that when the magazine comes out it will attract some press attention. That is likely to be in a week or so's time.

Ели

Your

Pile

P W Heap

CC: Mr David Love

OT2/2 DTI

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