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HKK341||
REFU HEE. AND IM IGRATION
$
HONG KONG:
HKK 243/1.
MALVEO
INDER
Ль
634
AY NO.
- 9 MAY 1979
1. The flow of people into Hong Kong is currently the most
difficult problem facing the Hong Kong Government. It has two
aspects, immigration from China and the arrival of "boat refugees"
from Vietnam. In terms of numbers immigration from China is the
more serious problem (Hong Kong has absorbed 175,000 immigrants
from China in the past 16 months), but the rapidly growing number
of Vietnamese refugees is a cause of very great concern.
IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA
2. There are two types of Chinese immigrants into Hong Kong:
legal immigrants (those with official Chinese travel documents)
and legal immigrants (those who leave China without the approval
of the Chinese authorities).
(a) Legal immigration. Because they regard Hong Kong as part
of China, the Chinese Government take the view that their
nationals have the right of free entry into ilong Kong.
While not fully accepting this position, the Hong Kong
Government have normally allowed all those to whom the
Chinese authorities are prepared to give travel documents
to enter Hong Kong, accepting that the great majority of
these will remain in the territory.
In practice the
Chinese authorities have recognised a responsibility
to limit the number of Chinese immigrants into Hong Kong.
The actual numbers have fluctuated but in recent years
have not been too far from the ave' age of 50 a day,
which the Hon; Kong Government regard as acceptable.
However, the figures rose rapidly in 1978 to reach a
peak of over 300 a day in December. The total number of legal immigrants in1978 was over 67,000.
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