TNAG-0374-FCO40-420-Discussions-with-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 100

CONFIDENTIAL

3. Under the pre-1967 system there was a

checkpoint on the bridge at Lowu which made it

possible to turn people ack before they

reached Hong Kong territory. Residents of all

the provinces except Kwangtung had to apply for

an entry visa, and a limit of 50 per day was

imposed on immigrants from Kwangtung province. Wine Hong Kong Government does not now wish to

/

reinstate themselves opoeial treatment of

Kwangtung The immigration control point on

the bridge at Lowu was abandoned during the

the Cultural Revolutionis trouble of 1967 but in the ensuin years the

durry

Chinese themselves restricted immigration to

unt? last year!

a very low level and/no practical problems arose.

5.

The measures proposed by the Hong Kong

Government seem sensible. In the opinion of

HM Embassy in Peking they should present no

difficulties as far as the Chinese are

concerned, provided that the situation is

explained to them both in Hong Kong and

Peking. The practical problems of reimposing

visa control do not seem to be insuper ble.

6. Mr Royle may like to tell the Governor

of Hong Kong that we recognise the magnitude

of the problem, and support the reasures which

the Hong Kong Government propose to take.

for the tactics, we do not think it would be

wise to give the Chinese the impression that

the Hong Kong Government's proposals are a

matter for negotiation. We think we should

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4. What the H.K. Gout now is("a return of the

propose

checkpoint to the bridge; Get the introduction of a system of referred visas for all categories of Chinese (se

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

no longer reserving an automatic Z quota for Kwanyting citizens) and (iii) onward travel documentations for Everseas Chinese seeking

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CONFIDENTIAL