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RECORD OF CALL BY THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR MR KE HUA ON
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL, 5 PM, 30 MAY 1979
Present:
Sir Ian Gilmour Mr Murray
Mr Ke Hua Mr Li
Mr Gomersall
Mr Wye
During the initial exchange of courtesies, Mr Ke Hua extended an open invitation to the Lord Privy Seal to visit China.
This
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Sir Ian Gilmour noted that Her Majesty's Ambassador in Peking had been invited to call on Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Wenjin to discuss immigration into Hong Kong. was a matter which caused Her Majesty's Government much concern. There was a continuing high level of legal and illegal immigration from China. So far there have been little improvement and illegal immigration in particular was getting worse. Mr Ke Hua said that this problem had been discussed before. It was a difficult question. The best way to find a solution was through consultation. Sir Ian Gilmour said he welcomed the consultations between the Ambassador and the Vice Foreign Minister.
3. Sir Ian Gilmour said that he was very concerned about the boat people, and referred in particular to the press report in the Hong Kong Standard that the authorities in Whampoa had refused entry to the 40 refugees aboard "Norse Viking". He hoped that this was not true and that the Chinese would hold to the established custom of allowing refugees to land at the first port of call. Mr Ke Hua said that he had not seen this report and undertook to report back to his Government. The Vietnamese authorities were planning to export one million refugees. Ever since they launched their aggression against Cambodia there have been many refugees because of the hard conditions in Vietnam and because the people feared that they would be enlisted into the army.
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