GR 325
PRIORITY
CYR/CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 341/1
RECEIVED IN MORY NO. 51 09 JŪN 1978
PAT
62
FM HONG KONG 870900Z
DESK OF OTA
INDEX
RELY TRY (Action Teen
as
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F.C.O TEL NO.701 OF 7 JUNE 78,
as
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.
FOLLOWING FROM POLITICAL ADVISER.
IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
1. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST THIS MORNING CARRIES A STORY,
FROM ITS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT IN LONDON, HEADLINED ''IMMIGRATION ISSUE LEFT TO HONG KONG''. THIS QUOTES BRITISH GOVERNMENT SOURCES AS SAYING THAT IMMIGRATION IS UNLIKELY TO BE DISCUSSED BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY AND HUANG HUA, AND PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON MR ENNALS' TELEVISION INTERVIEW ON MUCH THE SAME LINES AS MY TELNO.692. THE ARTICLE ALSO SAYS THAT THE 'LINE BEING TAKEN IN LONDON'' IS THAT I ''DREW CHINA'S ATTENTION TO IMMIGRATION FIGURES DURING A RECENT VISIT TO CANTON AND PEKING' AND THAT THE MATTER IS 'BEST LEFT TO CONTACTS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA'".
2. WHEN TALKING TO JOURNALISTS HERE I AM NORMALLY CAREFUL, EVEN IN BACKGROUND BRIEFING, NOT TO BE PRECISE ABOUT THE MANNER CR, NATURE OF CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE. THIS IS TO AVOID POTENTIALLY
AWKWARD QUESTIONS OR PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT THE ROLE HERE OF THE NCNA OR ABOUT WHETHER MATTERS ARE DEALT WITH BY THE EMBASSY IN
PEKING OR LOCALLY.
HOWEVER, I
3. NO GREAT HARM WILL BE CAUSED BY TODAY'S ARTICLE.
THINK IT WILL BE BETTER IN FUTURE TO STICK TO VAGUER FORMULATIONS
SO FAR OUR ONLY LIKE "DISCUSSIONS THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS''. PUBLIC COMMENT HAS BEEN THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S ANSWER TO A QUESTION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON 24 MAY, WHEN HE SAID THAT
THE GOVERNMENT'S CONCERN ABOUT IMMIGRATION FIGURES HAD BEEN
IF THERE ARE CONVEYED TO THE CHINESE (MY TELNO.65 TO PEKING).
QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS ABOUT THE MORNING POST STORY, WE WILL
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CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIRM