CONFIDENTIAL
4
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8. Mr. Stewart said that he would take careful note of what had been
said. He hoped that it was not felt that our approach to the E.E.C.
or our decision to withdraw our forces from East of Suez
betokened
Britain,
any slackening of interest in Britain in the rest of the world.
asd a strong and prosperous member of the E.E.C., would be of more use to
Hong Kong than if she remained outside.
9.
Passports
Sir Albert Rodrigues said that they appreciated the U.K.'s
difficulties over immigration. They wondered however why the holders
of Hong Kong passports were excluded from the Visa Abolition Agreement
with Japan. The Japanese said that the U.K. had asked for this exclusion
Mr. Stewart said that the Japanese were wrong on this, Britain could
not of course compel other countries to admit holders of Hong Kong
passports without visas. As he understood it holders of Hong Kong passports were in the same situation as other Commonwealth citizens for th
purposes of coming to Britain to settle, and in the case of visits he
presumed that there should be no difficulty. The real problem was that
some foreign countries would not admit Hong Kong citizens without visas.
10. Mr. Gordon said that Hong Kong was a good customer of Japan and k
if Mr. Stewart would make further representations to the Japanese
Government, they would also take it up on their side. Mr. Stewart said
that he would take this up again.
11.
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Mr. Kan said that there were also problems with other countries,
for example India. Moreover the regulations for entry into the U.K.
were operated by the Hong Kong Director of Immigration and yet when he,
one of the advisers of the Governor, had asked to see the instructions
he had been told that they were confidential to the British Government
and the Hong Kong Governments.
12.
Dr. Chung said that the Federal German Republic required visas
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