XN000022-1987-08-19 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1987

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JOINT STATEMENT ON QUESTION OF ECVII'S ISSUED

A DELEGATION OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE LED BY MR HUANG CHUN, DIRECTOR OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUREAU OF THE GUANGDONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT HELD A MEETING WITH A DELEGATION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT LED BY THE POLITICAL ADVISER MR R.D. CLIFT ON AUGUST 18 AND 19, 1987 IN CANTON. RELEVANT OFFICIALS FROM THE GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION AND FROM THE HONG KONG BRANCH OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY ATTENDED THE MEETING. DISCUSSIONS WERE CONDUCTED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF FRIENDSHIP AND CLOSE CO-OPERATION.

THE TWO SIDES DISCUSSED THE QUESTION OF THE INFLUX INTO HONG KONG OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY SETTLED IN MAINLAND CHINA AND WHO HAD ENTERED HONG KONG ILLEGALLY. THE HONG KONG SIDE MADE CLEAR THAT SUCH PEOPLE DO NOT ENJOY REFUGEE STATUS IN HONG KONG.

THE TWO SIDES FOUND THEMSELVES IN AGREEMENT ON THE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE MEANS OF DEALING WITH IT. THEY URGENT MEASURES TO DETER SUCH PEOPLE FROM ATTEMPTING TO KONG. THEY ALSO AGREED ON REVISED PROCEDURES FOR THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY SETTLED IN MAINLAND WHO HAD ENTERED HONG KONG ILLEGALLY.

ESSENTIALS AGREED ON ENTER HONG RETURN OF CHINA AND

SUCH PROCEDURES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THE FIRST GROUP WILL BE SENT BACK ON AUGUST 22, 1987. THEREAFTER IT IS AGREED THAT REPATRIATION WILL TAKE PLACE IN A CONTINUOUS AND ORDERLY MANNER AND IN GROUPS UNTIL ALL THOSE CONCERNED ARE RETURNED.

FIRST QUARTER INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION PUBLISHED

THE INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1987, AT 144.9, WAS 28.2 POINTS OR 21.2 PER CENT ABOVE THAT FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF 1986, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

IN BOTH ABSOLUTE AND PERCENTAGE TERMS, THIS INCREASE IN THE OVERALL LEVEL OF PRODUCTION OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF THE PRECEDING YEAR WAS THE LARGEST ONE RECORDED SINCE THE START SERIES IN 1982. SUCH AN INCREASE WAS IN LINE WITH THE IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS BETWEEN THE FIRST QUARTER OF

QUARTER LAST YEAR.

1987

OF THE INDEX STRONG GROWTH AND THE SAME

/COMPARED WITH