Nationality law of the People's Republic of China territory "before or after" their transfer of sovereignty to China are regarded as "born in China". Those who are of ethnic Chinese origin are Chinese nationals before and after the handovers. Having said that, people born in Hong Kong or Macao in the years before handover, were usually given British nationality (mostly British Dependent Territories Citizenship) and full Portuguese citizenship, based on British and Portuguese laws. For Hong Kong residents, the "Interpretation" of the Nationality Law was adopted at the Nineteenth Session of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress on May 15, 1996, a year prior to
Nationality law of the People's Republic of China by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Concerning the Implementation of the Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region", a supplement nationality law document applicable only to Hong Kong residents, states that any Hong Kong resident who "is of Chinese descent and was born in the Chinese territories (including Hong Kong)", before or after the Handover, is a Chinese national with right of abode in Hong Kong. An equivalent provision relating to Macau residents appears in the "Explanations of Some Questions by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress