Dual nationality stance needs a rethink

In 1980, China passed a law that makes it illegal for Chinese nationals to have dual nationalities. It requires Chinese citizens living abroad to give up their Chinese nationality if they are citizens of that foreign country.

But this rule is too severe because it expels overseas Chinese from being Chinese. This practice is rarely found in other countries.

Russia, for example, does not recognize its citizens' foreign nationalities. But for Russian citizens who have foreign citizenships, their legal status as Russian citizens are still upheld. In the US, a US citizen who has two nationalities does not have to abide by the laws of the other nation.

The Chinese mainland must also consider following the practices of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to keep its talent from fleeing. Although the governments in Hong Kong and Macao do not recognize the validity of United Kingdom and Portuguese passports, they allow the citizens with such dual nationalities to travel abroad.

Take Hong Kong residents as an example. The Chinese government recognizes their Chinese citizenship even if they have British passports. Hong Kong residents who hold permanent residence in foreign countries can use their non-Hong Kong identification for traveling purposes.

If the Chinese government does not allow dual nationality, overseas citizenship and overseas Chinese identification cards should be considered.

Given China's current situation, it may not be suitable to allow dual nationality. But an overseas citizenship and overseas identification card that was recently promoted by India may be a good solution to the complicated visa issue procedures. An overseas citizenship card could be used for Chinese living overseas so they can freely travel to and from China.

The overseas identification card could be used for second- or third-generation Chinese who are living overseas. With this card, they would not have to apply for a Chinese visa for 15 years.

In addition to an overseas identification card, Chinese who are overseas would enjoy equal treatment in their host country with the exception to the right to vote and be elected to political office.

These solutions allow China to attract talent without spending a great deal of money. This innovative policy could possibly draw talent back to China.

For the past 30 years, China has tried to attract overseas investments. But looking ahead to the next 30 years, China should begin attracting talented minds. As China develops into an innovation-oriented nation, it needs more brilliant minds to come to this nation. China already lags behind India in attracting overseas talent (the number of Indian professionals living in the US is lower compared to the number of Chinese professionals).

China should consider adopting India's system of issuing overseas citizen identification cards to prevent the outflow of talent and to increase the country's ability to compete against other countries in the world. If the various visa issues that have given overseas Chinese talents a great deal of trouble are solved, more talented Chinese can come back to China and contribute to the development of this nation.

The author is vice chairman of China Western Returned Scholars Association.

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