F.0. 41/1
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MEMORANDUM
With regard to the regulations proposed by the Hongkong authorities governing the entry of Chinese into Hongkong, the Chinese Ambassador, under instructions
from his Government, has the honour to submit to
His Majesty's Government the following considerations:
The Chinese constitute an overwhelming portion
of the resident as well as the travelling population
of Hongkong and have contributed no small part to the
prosperity of that port. They will meet with considerable
hardship if the new regulations are applied to them
requiring permits of entry or passports, as the former are
only issued in Hongkong and the latter cannot be secured
save with great difficulty in view of the impeded means of
communication at the present time. Particularly, those
Chinese who proceed to Hongkong on official or urgent busi-
ness are likely to be seriously handicapped and this state
of affairs is bound to affect adversely Sino-British trade.
Moreover, as a great number of Chinese staying in Hongkong
have recently moved into the interior of China, there seems
to be no necessity for the imposition of restrictions on the
Chinese entering Hongkong at the present time.
The Chinese Government is anxious that His
Majesty's Government will see their way to instruct the
/Hongkong
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