TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 82

28. I HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT SOME OF THE IDEAS PUT TO ME IN CHINA AND MY

RESPONSE, BUT THERE WAS IN PARTICULAR ONE HONG KONG MATTER IN WHICH

I WANTED TO MAKE SURE HONG KONG'S PROBLEMS WERE UNDERSTOOD.

THIS WAS IMMIGRATION, WE ARE ALL VERY WORRIED AT THE HIGH FIGURES

OF BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA IN SPITE OF

REPEATED REPRESENTATIONS. NATURALLY I STRESSED THIS ISSUE AT

ALL LEVELS IN BOTH GUANGZHOU AND PEKING. THEIR REPLIES WERE

ENTIRELY SYMPATHETIC TO HONG KONG'S PREDICAMENT. THEY SAID THE

MEASURES TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LEGALS HAD NOT BEEN AS EFFECTIVE

AS INTENDED SO MORE WOULD BE DONE. BUT IT WOULD TAKE TIME. THEY

STRONGLY DISAPPROVED OF THE ILLEGALS, AND WOULD STEP UP COUNTER

MEASURES. THEY URGED US TO SEND BACK BOTH ILLEGALS AND OVER-STAYING

LEGALS. I POINTED OUT THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF SENDING BACK OVER-STAYERS

IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY FRANKLY SAID THAT THE DISPARITY

OF THE STANDARD OF LIVING IN HONG KONG AND NEIGHBOURING PROVINCES

ATTRACTED PEOPLE. I OF COURSE STRESSED THAT IN COMING IN SUCH

NUMBERS THEY ENDANGERED THE STANDARD OF LIFE OF OUR OWN PEOPLE

AND OUR ECONOMY, IN THE LONG TERM THEY THOUGHT THAT GREATER

INDUSTRIALISATION IN NEIGHBOURING THROUGH MODERNISATION

AND, THEY HOPED, INCREASED HONG KONG INVESTMENT, WOULD HELP TO STABILISE THINGS. THEY MAY WELL BE RIGHT IN THIS, BUT I EMPHASISED

THAT IT WAS THE SHORT TERM PROBLEM THAT HAD TO BE TACKLED NOW,

23M THEY FRANKLY ADMITTED THE DIFFICULTY OF RECONCILING THEIR WISH

TO MEET HONG KONG'S PROBLEM WITH THE PROMULGATED POLICY OF FREER MOVEMENT IN CHINA. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY HAVE A REAL PROBLEM,

PARTICULARLY HAVING REGARD TO THE VAST AREA AND NUMBER OF

ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS INVOLVED. THE SMALL NUMBER OF PERMITS ISSUED

TO THOSE STATING THAT THEY ARE COMING HERE FOR PERMANENT RESIDENCE IS NO PROBLEM. NOR ARE VISA HOLDERS OR THE MANY DELEGATIONS

THAT ARE VERY WELCOME HERE OR THOSE GENUINELY IN TRANSIT TO OTHER

PLACES. THE PROBLEM RELATES TO PEOPLE WHO COME HERE NOMINALLY

JUST TO VISIT RELATIVES BUT WHO THEN STAY ON. THEY DID NOT DISSENT

FROM MY INSISTENCE THAT MEANS MUST BE FOUND TO MAKE SUCH VISITS

GENUINE. THESE CAN BEST BE ACHIEVED THROUGH MUTUAL COOPERATION,

AND I BELIEVE IT ESSENTIAL THAT OUR OFFICIALS GET DOWN TO

DISCUSSING THE MECHANICS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

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