CALL ON THE LORD PRIVY SEAL BY THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR, 30 MAY
Ở HONG
IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
SPEAKING NOTE
1.
The influx of Vietnamese refugees into Hong Kong, combined with the very high level of legal and illegal immigration from China, is causing us great concern. The Governor of Hong Kong was told by Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping during his visit to Peking that more effective measures would be taken to control the numbers coming in from China. So far there has been little improvement and illegal immigration, in particular, i getting worse.
2.
Because of its humanitarian policies, Hong Kong is also now the main target of boat refugees from Vietnam (40,000
have arrived todate).
Urgent steps are needed to bring
We need to persuade the
the situation under control.
Vietnamese to stop their export of unwanted ethnic Chinese,
and more places for resettlement are in
in any case urgently
required. Is there anything more the Chinese authorities
can do to help?
DEFENSIVE (If The Ambassador Raises the British Appeal to Taiwan)
3.
Our position on recognition of Peking as the sole legal
Government of China is of course unchanged. We fully stand
by the agreement reached by Britain and China on an exchange of Ambassadors in 1972.
But we are publicly stating our hope
that the authorities on Taiwan will give humanitarian assistance
to all refugees who reach their waters.
pressures on Hong Kong and elsewhere in the region will become
even more intolerable than they are at present.
If they do not, the
Far Eastern Dept
30 May 1979