The Hongcouver | You might have been born in Canada – but does Beijing think you could be a Chinese citizen?
China’s nationality law and the NPC’s 1996 ‘Explanations’ about how Hongkongers become foreign citizens are in focus after two Toronto-born teens were reportedly denied Chinese 10-year visas
Why would a Canadian citizen want to travel on anything other than a Canadian passport?
For Hong Kong-born Canucks and their children, that simple question has been complicated in recent days by some discomfiting reports.
The case as reported depicts natural-born Canadian citizens being treated very differently to their compatriots, on the basis of parentage alone.
The issue and its potential ambiguities deserve serious consideration, according to MP Jenny Kwan, herself a Hong Kong-born Canadian. “When I travel I take comfort knowing that I’m travelling as a Canadian, no matter what country, whether it’s China or anywhere else,” said Kwan. “I take comfort knowing that I hold my Canadian passport [and] I would not want my children travelling anywhere as anything other than Canadians.”
Nationality nuances
Although China has not explicitly asserted that the teens are in fact Chinese citizens, the nuances of Beijing’s attitudes towards nationality, dual citizenship, and Hong Kong permanent residents all appear to have been at play.