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CONFIDENTIAL
> 8th
6TH ANGLO-SOVIET JOINT MARITIME COMMISSION
? /LONDON 9 - 14 JUNE 19757
Garland,
Pary
fa
AGENDA ITEM
ITEM/7]-
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
HONG KONG :
VISITS BY RUSSIANS
DEFENSIVE
16
1
((but not recently)
EESA
[[subject to clearance by EE12+ 2077
1. Ar the
close of the IMC's
? two most recent meetings,
the
Delegation have lived the
restrictions imposed
fiquestion of the
by the thing kung authenties on vuils with Russian ships and their crews.
by
expected the
the Jurist
Joint delegation
will repent meir complaints at the present
fellows. I meeting of the b'grand is
ม O
Problems have arisen during the last few years about the visit of Soviet ships to Hong Kong and the treatment of their crews. These problems should be seen against the wider background of the Hong Kong Government's overall policy towards visits of Soviet citizens, which is to keep to an absolute minimum the number of Russians permitted to enter Hong Kong, even for short periods. HMG fully support them in this policy.
3 Over the last few years the Russians have attempted, by various means, to establish a pattern of visits in order to break down the reluctance of the Hong Kong authorities and ourselves to let them gain a foothold in the territory. In some cases special factors led the
Hong Kong authorities to make exceptions. But by and large their practice regarding Russians is to keep them out of Hong Kong as far as possible..
The
The reason for our firm line is the questionable motives of many Soviet applicants and the impossibility of distinguishing these from the innocent minority, if there is one. There is evidence that the main Soviet aim in seeking to establish a presence in Hong Kong is to use the Colony as a base, not only for observation of Chinese events but also for actual intelligence operations against China. The relation- ship of Hong Kong with China is a delicate balance of interests. Chinese are neurotically sensitive about Soviet activities against them, and they are clearly hostile to the establishment of any Soviet or East European foothold in the Colony. In the circumstances, the special needs of Hong Kong and the requirements of Anglo/Chinese relations must prevail over less important considerations such as the possible difficulty of reconciling the visa policy of the Hong Kong Government with our relations with the Soviet Union and with our own fairly liberal visa practice elsewhere.
the part showed
The Russians have recently been showing] particular concern about the restrictions placed on crews of Soviet ships which put into Hong Kong for repairs. In the late 1960s only 2 or 3 Soviet vessels per year used to visit Hong Kong for this purpose. The numbers increased sharply around 1970, and since 1971 Soviet sailors staying in Hong Kong more than 14 days have been required to fill in arrival cards and provide photographs. In 1972 visits ashore were limited to groups of 5 for any one 6-hour period during the hours of daylight in any one day, and the Hong Kong Immigration Department initiated spot checks to ensure that this regulation was adhered to. A number of breaches, some of them associated with KGB activities, were discovered (these included in 1971 a disturbance caused by Russian officers distributing anti-Mao leaflets on the Hong Kong waterfront). In 1973 the Russians'
CONFIDENTIAL
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