China should beware the dangers of race-based nationalism
Philip Bowring says the rules of citizenship in Hong Kong that favour ethnic Chinese and which are particularly unfair to its foreign workers reflect a prejudice that is unworthy of China, given its past suffering at the hands of imperialist powers
This is not a theoretical puzzle, it goes to the heart of whether and how a Hongkonger has an official, fixed identity. This issue most often surfaces in sports: who is and is not allowed to represent Hong Kong at international events. The practice is clearly very mixed, with each sport having its own rules, whether related to nationality, ethnic origin, place of birth or duration of residence.
But worse, from a non-Chinese Hongkonger’s viewpoint, is the hypocrisy that prevails. Chinese are not supposed to have two nationalities but, in practice, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese from Hong Kong and elsewhere, such as Southeast Asia, do so. Likewise, mainlanders can easily acquire Hong Kong passports. Meanwhile, Hong Kong-born or long-resident non-Chinese are barred.
The dilemma of Hong Kong Chinese with two passports
