Travel Using another passport while having an Australian passport? (No Dual Citizenship allowed)

[vonn]

I posted this on Q&A but there is more traffic here so mods hopefully you can overlook this until I get an answer.

Hi guys - after some help here.

I've had a Chinese citizenship and passport since birth, with PR in Australia granted from 1999 when I came here. I've had no hassles thus far, I just have to renew my visa and that enables me to leave and enter Australia every five years or something when I want to travel. I recently just went to China so I have an electronic visa that's good for the next five years or so. China doesn't allow dual citizenship.

After years of procrastinating (and for ease of international travel) I've decided to apply for Australian citizenship a few days ago, and I imagine I'll apply for my passport a few days after that is granted.

In an ideal world I'd just not tell China that I have new citizenship and use that passport when I go to China so I don't have to apply for a visa (I usually go via HK so I can get the stamp there so it won't look suspicious.)

What I'm wondering is:
A) If I don't tell the Chinese embassy I've changed citizenship, can they find out? I've heard that the electronic visa means that it's an automated process where cancellation is immediate. Is this true? Would paying for a sticker on my passport bypass this?
B) What's the 'penalty' for not telling Chinese Embassy? I've read it's that they cancel your passport but given that's what needs to be done anyway I imagine it's not the biggest loss in the world. Do I then have bad 'credit history' (for lack of a better word) with them?
C) Would that impact my Australian passport and ability to travel in the future?

Conversely - how hard is it to get a Chinese travel visa with an Australia passport?

I'd ask the Australian/Chinese embassy but as you can see I'm looking for loopholes which they can't assist me with. It's stupid that in this day and age China doesn't allow for dual citizenship but what can you do.

 

[MisterMarcus]

I posted this on Q&A but there is more traffic here so mods hopefully you can overlook this until I get an answer.

Hi guys - after some help here.

I've had a Chinese citizenship and passport since birth, with PR in Australia granted from 1999 when I came here. I've had no hassles thus far, I just have to renew my visa and that enables me to leave and enter Australia every five years or something when I want to travel. I recently just went to China so I have an electronic visa that's good for the next five years or so. China doesn't allow dual citizenship.

After years of procrastinating (and for ease of international travel) I've decided to apply for Australian citizenship a few days ago, and I imagine I'll apply for my passport a few days after that is granted.

In an ideal world I'd just not tell China that I have new citizenship and use that passport when I go to China so I don't have to apply for a visa (I usually go via HK so I can get the stamp there so it won't look suspicious.)

What I'm wondering is:
A) If I don't tell the Chinese embassy I've changed citizenship, can they find out? I've heard that the electronic visa means that it's an automated process where cancellation is immediate. Is this true? Would paying for a sticker on my passport bypass this?
B) What's the 'penalty' for not telling Chinese Embassy? I've read it's that they cancel your passport but given that's what needs to be done anyway I imagine it's not the biggest loss in the world. Do I then have bad 'credit history' (for lack of a better word) with them?
C) Would that impact my Australian passport and ability to travel in the future?

Conversely - how hard is it to get a Chinese travel visa with an Australia passport?

I'd ask the Australian/Chinese embassy but as you can see I'm looking for loopholes which they can't assist me with. It's stupid that in this day and age China doesn't allow for dual citizenship but what can you do.

My wife is Chinese, but has been an Australian citizen for about 5 years. Both of us regularly travel to China to see her family etc, and it's very easy to get a Chinese visa, no problems at all. Hand in a form and wait a week kind of deal. If you're not staying at a hotel, you just need an "invitation" from someone (e.g. a relative) to come over, with a copy of their ID card and address. But I've never had the slightest trouble.

Whether the Chinese find out about it or not is kind of a moot point. If you travel on a Chinese passport, the Chinese will regard you as one of their citizens, and you will have no right to Australian consular assistance/protection if something goes wrong. It just makes sense to travel on your Australian passport.

Plus, if you're Chinese yourself, surely you already know that you don't f**k with the Chinese officialdom. Especially if they find out while you're already in China.