TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 63

1

Mr Cortazzi

PS/Lord Privy Seal

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HKK243|

RECEIVES

(834)

RG. S1

37

15SK ON

ANDIX

PA

Floo

CALL ON THE LORD PRIVY SEAL BY THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR, 30 MAY

1. In view of the serious problem being created by the Vietnamese refugees and the continuing high rate of Legal and illegal immigration into Hong Kong from China, the Lord Privy Seal may wish to refer to our concern when Mr Ke Hua

calls this afternoon.

2. I submit a self-contained Speaking Note on which he could

draw.

It includes a defensive note on our attitude to

Taiwan in case the Ambassador asks about the appeal to the Taiwanese authorities, to which the BBC gave prominence this

morning.

We maintained a Consulate on Taiwan until 1972

but withdrew it when we reached agreement with the Chinese to

raise the level of our mission in Peking from that of Charge d'Affaires to full Embassy in 1972. At the time we publicly acknowledged the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of China and have since been careful to take no actions which throw doubt on our recognition of the Government in Peking as the sole legal Government of China.

A humanitari

appeal to the authorities on Taiwan in no way affects this policy.

HKGD concur.

30 May 1979

CC:

PS- PS/PUS

Mr Murray

HK GD

News Dept SEAD UND

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Lachend Sammel

R C Samuel

Far Eastern Dept