TNAG-2935-FCO40-4210-Future-of-Hong-Kong-nationality-British-National-(Overseas)-1993 — Page 110

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British nationals

assurance included

with Chinese citizenship. No such assurance had in fact been given, but the opportunity of the Commons adjournment debate on ethnic minorities on 9 July was taken to set the record straight. During the debate, Mr Wardle said that the assurance had always been clearly given in the context of the non-Chinese ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. As far as any member of the dual British/Chinese population was concerned, he had no doubt that the government of the day would recognise an obligation to such a person if he were to be forcibly ejected from Hong Kong, barred from entering China and had nowhere to go but the United Kingdom, although such a situation was thought extremely unlikely.

Line to take

7.

The ethnic minorities' ties are with Hong Kong rather than the UK and it is therefore more appropriate to look to ensure their security in Hong Kong than to confer British citizenship on them. The Government's view is that there is no case for special treatment. The position of the ethnic minorities has been adequately protected, both in the Joint Declaration and Basic Law and also by

by the assurances which the Government has given about the action it would take in the event of an emergency.

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