CONFIDENTIAL
SHOULD BE HANDED OVER WITHOUT LEGAL FORMALITY): BUT HE DID NOT PRESS THE POINT WHEN GEORGE SAID THAT IF CAUGHT ON FIRST ENTRY
THEY WOULD BE REPATRIATED BUT THAT THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES OVER
DEALING WITH THOSE APPREHENDED LATER OTHER THAN THROUGH THE
COURTS.
3. ON LEGAL EMIGRATION WANG INDICATED THAT THE CHINESE
AUTHORITIES HAD TAKEN NECESSARY MEASURES EG OVER PEOPLE GOING TO THIRD COUNTRIES, AND HE TOOK NOTE OF OUR REPRESENTATIONS. HE REFERRED HOWEVER TO THE DIFFICULTIES FOR THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES
IF THEY DID NOT ISSUE PERMITS TO THOSE WHO HAD A GOOD REASON TO
GO TO HONG KONG. HE THOUGHT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES SHOULD
PERSUADE THOSE WHOSE PERMITS HAD EXPIRED TO RETURN, AND
QUESTIONED THE RELIABILITY OF THE LOW FIGURE GIVEN FOR THE PROPORTION RETURNING TO CHINA. GEORGE SAID THAT THE LOW FIGURE
COUDLD INDEED BE SUBSTANTIATED AND THAT EFFORTS WERE MADE TO PERSUADE PEOPLE TO RETURN, BUT THAT THERE WERE SEVERE POTENTIAL DIFFICULTIES IN APPLYING MORE THAN PERSUASION. THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES, HE UNDERSTOOD, DİD ÎN FACT APPLY LIMITS TO THE NUMBERS OF PERMITS: IT WAS A MATTER OF TIGHTENING UP STILL MORE STRICTLY. WANG TOOK NOTE AND SAID THE REPRESENTATION WOULD BE
CONSIDERED FURTHER
COMMENT
4. THIS IS FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT, WHILE READY TO HELP OVER
ILLEGALS, THE CHINESE AUTHORITES ARE NOT READY TO DO MUCH MORE OVER LEGALS, AT LEAST NOT YET OR PERHAPS IN THE ABSENCE F FURTHER ACTION BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE THE RETURN OF OVERSTAYERS. WE CAN SUBSTANTIATE THE LOW FIGURE OF THOSE RETURNING, BUT THIS WILL EXPOSE US TO MORE PRESSURE ON THE LAST POINT.
- 2 -
CONFIDENTIAL
/ 5. WANG