TNAG-0666-FCO40-815-Applications-for-visas-to-Hong-Kong-from-Vietnamese-1978 — Page 22

FAV 020/393/1

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK.345/332/1

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Mr Stewart

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

1 ~ DEC}>London SW1A 2AH

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9 December 1977

C D 3 Drace-Francis Esq__No For Quill 129/12

Government Secretariat

HONG KONG

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Этим пошит,

VISAS FOR VIETNAMESE

1. Robert Tesh's letter (348/1) to you of 10 November asked for comments from other addressees on the subject of visas for Vietnamese. Wilson, you and I discussed the matter when I was in Hong Kong in November. I also mentioned it to Rowlands in Immigration.

2.

There was agreement that policy on granting visas to Vietnamese should take account of the balance of advantage between the wider UK interest and Hong Kong's security. It could be contended that the Chinese would take the view that greater trade between the Vietnamese and the West would reduce Vietnamese dependence on the Soviet Union and Eastern bloc, and would therefore be to China's advantage. (Peking may like to comment on this point).

3. I am not able to discuss the individual visa cases to which Tesh referred in paragraph 1 of his letter of 14 October to Alan Donald, as details are not available here. But in general we consider that the case is a strong one for marginally relaxing the present rather tough and time-consuming policy of the Hong Kong authorities, when the Vietnamese are applying for short-term visit visas for the purposes of promoting trade or industrial training. (Otherwise it will be increasingly difficult to reconcile Hong Kong's visa policy with the willingness we have expressed to the Vietnamese to see our trade and commercial relations with Vietnam expanded). we fully understand the need to scrutinise each application on security grounds.

But

4. With the inevitable growth of commercial dealings with Vietnam, the pressure for visas is

We do bound to increase. not want this relatively positive trend to be so handled by Hong Kong, or ourselves, that it could even lead to upsetting Anglo-Vietnamese relations (Tesh's letter of 14 October). we did not demonstrate some flexibility there would also be the risk of our annoying some of our European and other Asian friends.

And

只

A M Simons

South-East Asian Department

cc: HE Mr R M Tesh CMG, HANOI

PLL Popplewell Esq, PEKING JAB Stewart Esq, OBE, HK&GD

CONFIDENTIAL

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