TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 105

SECRET.

a

GRS 265

SECRET

DESKBY PEKING 100200Z

Copy @ HKKC 026/3

Copy@

FM HONG KONG 091130Z FEB 79

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 244 OF 9 FEBRUARY

INFO PEKING

HKCK DETE/3

006/3

See/23

No

HACK 341 Li

Miste

13

FCO TELNO 125: MY VISIT TO PEKING.

No

3

1. I AGREE I SHOULD ACCEPT FOR THE LAST WEEK IN MARCH.

2. HOWEVER YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT AFTER A DROP IN JANUARY, LEGAL IMMIGRATION HAS STARTED TO RISE AGAIN. WITH THE ADDITIONAL INFLUX FROM VIETNAM, WE CANNOT AVOID BEING FIRMER WITH THE CHINESE, IF THEY STILL FAIL TO RESPOND TO REPRESENTATIONS.

3. WE STILL WANT TO WAIT IN CASE THE RISE IS DUE TO DISTORTION CAUSED BY THE CHINESE NEW YEAR: BUT NEXT WEEK WE MAY BE OBLIGED TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED ON, SAY, FEBRUARY 16 CR 19 THAT IN DEFAULT OF A SATISFACTORY REDUCTION CONTROLS WOULD BE IMPOSED 3 WEEKS LATER SAY ON 12 MARCH. THIS WOULD STILL GIVE THEM TIME TO RESPOND AND I THINK THERE IS A REASONABLE CHANCE THEY WOULD DO SO.

4. IF WE DO NOT ACT THEN THE ALTERNATIVES WILL BE :-

A. INACTION UNTIL WELL AFTER THE SECRETARY OF STATES VISIT,

5. SANDWICH HIS AND MY VISITS BETWEEN A WARNING AND IMPOSITION

CF CONTROLS,

RAGING

5. ASSUMING THE FIGURES ARE NOT MORE ENCOURAGING NEXT WEEK, I DO NOT THINK I SHALL BE DETERRED FROM ACCEPTING THE INVITATION BY THE PROSPECT OF THIS ROW. BUT I WOULD PREFER TO GET IT OVER WITH AS IN PARA 3, OR PERHAPS USE THE VISITS AS LEVERAGE AS IN

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/PARA.4 (B)

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