ABSTRACT
The correlation of nationality and ethnicity in Hong Kong deserves both academic and popular interest, but has been relatively confined to certain debates. This is partly because it is a factor that vexes the already complex legal and political structures that the region has been compelled to adopt and adapt to actual conditions since the region's transition from being a British colony to a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) occurred in 1997. The Basic Law, formulated as the essential directive of governance for Hong does not contain any particular clauses addressing the ethnic backgrounds or status of ethnic groups. This chapter argues that as Hong Kong eventually becomes a normalized region of the PRC rather than a colonial or special administrative city-state as it was and currently is, citizenship will become more prominent as a political trait of "Hong Kong people" and that benefits associated with residency will have to be reconsidered.
