13.
relatives living outside 'China;
women married for longer than ten
years wishing to join their husbands living outside China, those
who returned to China from overseas during an anti-Chinese period
in the host country; students who returned to China from an
overseas birthplace;
j
and those wishing to claim property inherited
:
overseas.
7
To
0
3 It seems clear that the 1972 directives also set an
overall annual quota of departures.
It is difficult to assess how
the annual quota was apportioned to different parts of the country,
F
but residents of the two provinces nearest to Hong Kong, Guangdong and
Dujian, were clearly the most successful applicants for exit permits
to Hong Kong. In view of the proximity of these two provinces to
Hong Kong, and the State Council's directives on the criteria to be
applied, this was only to be expected. In any event where an exit
permit was granted, it was frequently after a long wait or repeated
applications.
1
Towards the end of 1973, however, the Hong Kong Government
C ୮
expressed its alarm at an alarming trend in the number of arrivals Bond fo
་ ་ ་ ་ from China in Hong Kong (see paragraph 7 above), and warned that
restrictions might have to be applied. The Chinese Ambassador in
London was given an Aide Memoire saying that, while the Hong Kong
Government reserved the right to reinstitute controls, they would
be prepared not.to do so for the time being if the Chinese
mid
T
J:
}
|
Government were to take measures themselves to cut back the number's.
:
In reply to Chinese claims that there was a traditional and
f
customary right of free entry into Hong Kong, the Aide Memoire
ight
pointed out that "for obvious practical administrative reasons"
it had been "traditional and customary for immigration into Hong
Kong to be controlled" and that this had been done up to 1967. Аб a result of these representations, new restrictions appear to have bee
CONFIDENTIAL
4.
/ implemented