TNAG-0839-FCO40-1048-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 76

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CONFIDENTIAL

RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR PETER BLAKER MP

AND ASSISTANT MINISTER SONG ZHIGUANG, 10.00 AM, 11 JUNE

Those present:

1.

Mr Peter Blaker MP

Mr Cortazzi

Mr Samuel

Mr Hamilton

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After an exchange of courtesies, Mr Song agreed that relations between Britain and China were developing well and that contacts between British Ministers and their counterparts were also good on the personal level. Mr Song said that Vice Premier Geng Biao's visit was a private one, but that he was glad to be able to make a a call on Lord Carrington; the party had been enjoying their programme of sightseeing. When Mr Blaker observed that we were pleased with the way the Duke of Kent's visit to Peking had gone, including the call on Premier Hua Guofeng, Mr Song said that to begin with the Chinese side had made arrangements to receive him only in his capacity as Vice Chairman of the BOTB. When they grasped the significance of his visit also in his capacity as the first member of the British Royal Family to visit China, they had arranged to receive him at the highest level.

2.

Mr Blaker said we had also been pleased with the way in which the Governor of Hong Kong was received in Peking and for Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping's reassurance to investors in Hong Kong. This was important since if visitors lacked confidence, Hong Kong would have no prosperity either. This was important both to Britain and to China. We had one anxiety over Hong Kong relating to the immigration question with which Mr Song was familiar. Continued prosperity and progress would be endangered if immigration continued at its present high level. We welcomed the drop in legal immigration, and hoped it would continue; but we were worried about the illegals who had brought last year's immigration to a total of 100,000. A further 100,000 had arrived in 1979 already. We would be grateful for continuing Chinese help with this. Mr Song said his authorities were paying much attention to it. They had adopted some measures legal immigration, though it would take time for the results to show themselves. The traditional links between Hong Kong and Guangdong province had been such that there had been virtually no restrictions in the past and persuading people not to go took a lot of effort. It was difficult to adopt more forceful measures. Nevertheless the illegals problem was being seriously studied and the Guangdong authorities would see what they could do. Mr Song thought that the influx into Hong Kong was not due only to comparatively high living standards there.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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