A
LORD GLENARTHUR'S LUNCH WITH THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR, 26 APRIL 1989
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
Background
1.
The problem of coast-hopping has been raised with the Chinese on
a number of recent occasions: by the Secretary of State with Qian Qichen in Tokyo on 24 February, by the Governor with Zhou Nan on 1
March, by Mr McLaren at the last JLG, and by Lord Glenarthur with Zhou Nan on 28 March (at which the Chinese Ambassador was present).
2. Hong Kong have now started to provide us with regular
in formation about asistance given to Vietnamese boat people in South China. Details have been passed to the Chinese through our Embassy in Peking and throught the NCNA in Hong Kong.
Recent examples include:
a)
a boat with 23 people which stopped five times in China and
was examined and replenished with provisions by local
officials.
b)
a boat which arrived with 23 people on board, six of whom
had joined the others in a South China port by arrangement
with local officials while the boat was being replenished.
Reports indicate that the boat people carry gold with which to pay
or bribe local officials and others during their journey. This
soure of supplementary income must be attractive to the local
Chinese on the coast and increases the problem of dissuading them
from providing assistance.
3. The Secretary of State has now agreed to send a message to Qian
Qichen on this subject, urging the Chinese to take effective measures against coast hopping. On substance, the only new point in
the message is the idea, put forward by the Governor, that those
boat people who arrive in unseaworthy boats and spend a significant