TNAG-0802-FCO40-1006-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 28

Mr Murra

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

CONFIDENTIAL

1. Pel to issue

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2. 4 at pp TIPS

HRK 14111

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

13 DEC 1976

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158

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IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA INTO HONG KONG

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1. In his telegram No 1387 of 4 December, the Governor of Hong Kong proposes that a formal, high level approach should now be 151 made to the Chinese Government in Peking over the continuing problem

of immigration from China into Hong Kong. He makes it clear that this proposal has been discussed with HM Ambassador in Peking (who recently spent a few days in Hong Kong) and is put forward with his agreement.

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2. Informal representations have been made to the Chinese on several occasions in Hong Kong, Peking and London - since the numbers of immigrants from China first started to rise sharply about a year ago. The Secretary of State himself raised the question when the Chinese Foreign Minister visited London in October. Mr Huang Othen

then said that China saw no need for a procedure to cover movement between the two places, but added that China did pay attention to the numbers entering Hong Kong and would continue to do so. In conversation with Mr Cortazzi during the same visit, the Chinese Flag C Assistant Foreign Minister Mr Sung Chih-kuang said that China did

not intend to let a large number enter Hong Kong.

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The representations made so far appear to have had very little effect; the problem has got worse. In the first 11 months of this year 60,195 legal immigrants arrived in Hong Kong, compared with 26,449 in the whole of 1977. 7,408 illegal immigrants have been arrested at the frontier so far this year, which probably means that about four times that number have succeeded in entering Hong Kong. By comparison, only 1,815 illegal immigrants were arrested in 1977. Moreover, the figures have been rising steadily throughout 1978: the daily average for legal immigrants in January was 92, in June it was 181, in September 234, and in October 274. By the beginning of December the figure was over 300.

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I therefore agree that the time has come for a new and more formal approach to the Chinese. I also agree that our representa- tions should this time include a reference to the possibility of imposing some form of control on numbers on the British side of the

1 CONFIDENTIAL