Opinion | Hong Kong has much to offer, even for those who choose to leave
- Everyone who decides to change nationality has their own reasons, and there are also many grounds for people to stay in Hong Kong
- If things do not work out well for those who seek a new life abroad, they will always be welcome back
Twenty years ago this month, I ceased to be British and legally became a Chinese national. To achieve this, I renounced my birth nationality and gave up my British passport.
I received my naturalisation certificate, granted under Article 7 of China’s nationality law, on August 1, 2001. Within a few weeks, I had received my new ID card with three stars, my new Hong Kong SAR passport stating clearly that my nationality was now Chinese and – perhaps best of all – my home return permit for entry to mainland China, which a Hong Kong passport cannot provide.
My understanding is that those who had done this in Hong Kong before me were mostly ethnic Chinese with another citizenship, such as Malaysian or Indonesian, or South Asians or people of mixed ethnicity. As far as I know, I was the first Caucasian.
After news of my case became public, others contacted me to ask for details. Rationale varied from case to case, some to avoid tax or national service, others for the convenience of travelling on the same passport as their spouse or ease of travel to the mainland.