AIDE MEMOIRE
0153
IMMIGRATION INTO HONG KONG
Fax
As the Ambassador may know, Sir John Addis has had two recent conversations with Mr Wang Tung on the subject of immigration into Hong Kong. During their second conversation, Mr Wang Tung said that the Chinese Government could not agree to the measures which the British authorities in Hong Kong proposed to adopt in order to restrict the number of immigrants. But he also said that the Chinese departments concerned had taken note of the increase in the number of Chinese people who were travelling to Hong Kong and were taking proper measures in this regard. Mr Wang Tung believed we should be able to solve the problem reasonably in a spirit of confidence and co-operation, but added that since the Chinese authorities had already issued exit visas to many people it would not be possible for the numbers to drop substantially within the next one or two months.
L
Mr Wang Tung referred in his conversation with Sir John Addis to th Chinese people's traditional rights and customary free entry to Hong Kong. In fact just as entry across the Hong Kong border into China is controlled so it has been traditional and customary for immigration into Hong Kong to be controlled. This is for obvious practical administrative reasons and in order to safeguard condition of life in Hong Kong. Such controls were always applied up till 1967. Thereafter, until 18 months ago, immigration was at a very low or at least acceptable level due to the effect of the Cultural Revolution and controls were unnecessary •
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