Passports, pride and prejudice

THE day may come when immigration officers in dozens of countries will greet either of Hong Kong's planned post-1997 travel documents with enthusiasm.

''British National Overseas passport, sir? That'll do nicely.'' ''Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport, madam? No problem.'' And whether your passport is burgundy-red and British-made or sky-blue and China-issue will be as unimportant as whether your credit card is American Express or Visa.

But don't bank on it happening on July 1, 1997 - or anytime soon after that. Unless Britain and China start working together on what has become one of the most contentious issues of the transition to Chinese rule, the greeting at Vancouver or Sydney may be rather different.

''BNO, sir? If you would kindly step this way. There are a few questions we'd like to ask.'' ''SAR passport, madam? Could you show me your visa and your return ticket please? Do you have any other proof of identity? ''No, it's just a formality madam, but we do have to be sure. We get so many people trying to get in on Hong Kong passports, you see. And I'm afraid they're not all bona fide.'' As usual, the problem boils down to lack of co-operation and trust between the present and future sovereign powers.

Passports for China are a matter of sovereignty, an indication of national pride.

At the time of the 1984 Joint Declaration, it took on board the business community's worry that a Chinese-issued passport might make travel difficult and hurt Hong Kong's status as an international business centre.

It accepted Britain's offer to carry on issuing passports - provided they did not carry the colonial stigma of being described as ''British Dependent Territory'' documents - to ensure business travellers had the benefits of a widely respected document.