QR 587
CONFITIAL
CONFIDENTAL
THIS IS A COPAKK 341|1.
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED.
PM HONG KONG 168910Z MAYIN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER
SECTION 3 (4) OF THE) PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958.
75
TO PRIORITY F.C.O.
TELEGRAM NUMBER 586 OF 16 MAY, 1979
No
$17.5
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON AND PEKING. See (8)
MY TELNO 486: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.
1. POLITICAL ADVISER SPOKE YESTERDAY TO THE SECOND DIRECTOR OF THE NONA, LI JUSHENG, ABOUT IMMIGRATION. HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER HAD DROPPED A LITTLE RECENTLY, THE DAILY AVERAGE WAS STILL 208. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OVER 33,000 PEOPLE HAD ARRIVED LEGALLY FROM CHINA. THIS COMPARED WITH ABOUT 67,500 FOR THE WHOLE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THE
FIGURES WERE STILL FAR TOO HIGH, IT REMAINED TRUE THAT HARDLY
ANY RETURNED: INDEED 98 PER CENT OF ARRIVALS OPENLY ADMITTED
THAT THEY CAME HERE TO STAY, EVEN THOUGH THEY HELD DOUBLE
JOURNEY CHINESE PERMITS VALID FOR A LIMITED PERIOD.
2. P.A. REMINDED LI THAT DENG HAS SAID, DURING MY VISIT, THAT FURTHER STEPS WOULD BE TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE FLOW. I HAD SUGGESTED IN CHINA, AND SINCE RETURNING, THAT DIRECT TALKS BETWEEN OFFICIALS SHOULD BE HELD URGENTLY. P.A. SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT NEWS THE NCNA HAD ON THIS PROPOSAL .AND WHEN TALKS COULD BEGIN.
see 80
3. LI AGREED THAT THE NUMBERS WERE STILL TOO HIGH. PEKING WAS ALSO CONCERNED. THE CHINESE WANTED HOWEVER TO DO SOME PRELIMINARY
WORK ON THE PROBLEM BEFORE HAVING A MEETING: WITHOUT THIS THE LATTER WOULD HAVE NO BASIS, IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION ABOUT HOW LONG IT MIGHT BE BEFORE THE CHINESE WERE READY TO TALK, LI AT FIRST SAID HIS PERSONAL VIEW WAS THAT IT WOULD BE SEVERAL WEEKS.
P.A. EMPHASISED THE NEED FOR TALKS MUCH SOONER THAN THIS. THE OBJECT OF A MEETING WAS TO FIND WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. IF THERE WAS NO MEETING SOON, AND NUMBERS DID NOT GO DOWN, THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE LEFT TO US WOULD BE UNILATERAL ACTION
WHICH WE WISHED TO AVOID. LI APPEARED TO ACCEPT THAT AN EARLIER MEETING WAS DESIRABLE BUT REFUSED TO BE DRAWN ON TIMING.
4. P.A. ALSO SPOKE OF CUR GROWING CONCERN ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. (OVER 24,00% REPATRIATED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR COMPARED WITH JUST OVER 8,000 FOR THE WHOLE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR). LI AGREED
THAT THE
CONFIDENTAL
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