Protected nested classes

TypeScript Version: 1.8.9

Code

class Outer {
    protected static Inner = class {}
    private myInner: Outer.Inner;
}

Expected behavior: No errors.

Actual behavior: Compiler error: Cannot find namespace 'Outer'. Line 3, Column 24

Code

class Outer {
    protected static Inner = class {}
    private myInner: Outer.Inner;
}
namespace Outer {}

Expected behavior: No errors.

Actual behavior: Compiler error: Module 'Outer' has no exported member 'Inner'. Line 3, Column 32

Code

export class Outer {
    protected static Inner = class {};
}

export class Child extends Outer {
    static temp = class extends Outer.Inner {}
}

Expected behavior: No errors.

Actual behavior: Compiler error: Property 'Inner' is protected and only accessible within class 'Outer' and its subclasses. Line 6, Column 35

The problem here is that there is no way to define a protected nested class in a way that makes it possible to use in a type declaration. The third example shows why I want to use this: I want a nested class that can only be extended by classes that extend the parent class.

Reproduce the three TypeScript examples from the issue, including the namespace workaround and the subclass extension case. Trace how the compiler resolves nested class types and protected static members, then add regression coverage showing that the valid examples compile without errors while protected access remains enforced.