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SOF
3. CHANG VENT ON THAT HE DID NOT WISH TO MAKE EXCUSES. THING WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE TO SOLVE THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT LIKE US RECOGNISED IT AS AN IMPORTANT AND SERIOUS MATTER, HE COULD ASSURE US IT WAS NOT HIS GOVER- NMENT'S POLICY TO ALLOW IMMIGRATION AT PRESENT LEVELS. THE CHINESE WOULD DO ALL THEY COULD WITHIN AVAILABLE MEANS TO REDUCE THE OUTFLOW, ALTHOUGH AN IMMEDIATE AND COMPLETE SOLUTION WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE FOREIGN MINISTRY WOULD HAVE TO TALK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES. HE REGRETTED THAT THE MEASURES TAKEN SO FAR HAD FAILED TO HAVE ANY EFFECT. THE HONG KONG SIDE FOR ITS PART MIGHT LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITIES OF RETURNING TO CHINA THOSE WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO VISIT RELATIVES IN HONG KONG BUT HAD VALID RE-ENTRY PERMITS.
4.
I OFFERED NO COMMENT ON THE LAST POINT, BUT THANKED CHANG FOR HIS ASSURANCES THAT IT WAS NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY TO PERMIT OUTFLOW AT CURRENT LEVELS AND THAT THEY WOULD DO ALL THEY COULD TO CHECK IT. WE WERE CONCERNED THAT DESPITE HIGH LEVEL REP- RESENTATIONS SINCE AT LEAST MAY OF THIS YEAR THE FIGURES HAD NOT GONE DOWN BUT HAD RISEN ALARMINGLY. IF THERE WAS NO IMP- ROVEMENT, HONG KONG WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER CONTROLS, BUT WE WOULD MUCH PREFER THAT THE CHINESE SOLVE THE PROBLEM THEM-
SELVES,
5.
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS VERY FRIENDLY THROUGHOUT.
6.
SEE ALSO MIFT:
CRADOCK
FILES:
HKGD
UND
SEAD
FED
FS
PS/LORD GORONWY ROBERTS
FS/FUS
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
2
COPIES TO:
HKGO LONDON
CONFIDENTIAL