TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 61

CONFIDENTIAL

3 PA SAID THAT WE HAD LOOKED VERY CAREFULLY AT THE CHINESE POSAL. WHAT HE HAD JUST SAID WAS OUR RESPONSE. WE WERE TRYING TO BUILD CONSTRUCTIVELY ON THE CHINESE SUGGESTIONS. WE WOULD LIKE

TO FIND A WORKABLE SYSTEM FOR GENUINE VISITS. BUT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO BRING NUMBERS DOWN TO A REASONABLE LEVEL BEFORE IT COULD BE LAUNCHED. WE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY THAT THOSE WHO SAID THEY

WERE COMING ON VISITS REMAINED PERMANENTLY. THEY WERE DECEIVING THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES. HE REPEATED THE REASONS GIVEN PREVIOUSLY FOR THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF FORCEABLY ROUNDING UP AND RETURNING THE LARGE NUMBER OF OVERSTAYERS. WE HAD NO WISH TO BE FORCED TO IMPOSE A LIMIT, ALTHOUGH THIS HAD IN FACT BEEN THE COMMON PRACTICE

UNTIL 1957.

4. ON BEING ASKED FOR HIS PERSONAL VIEW, TAN SAID HE DID NOT THINK

THAT OUR SCHEME FOR A SYSTEM OF ENTRY GUARANTEES WOULD WORK. HE REPEATEDLY URGED CO-OPERATION IN FINDING A SOLUTION THAT DID NOT INVOLVE A QUOTA. HE ALSO INSISTED THAT THE CHINESE SYSTEM OF DOUBLE JOURNEY PERMITS WOULD WORK BECAUSE HONG KONG COULD FIND THE MEANS TO SEND BACK OVERSTAYERS.

5. THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE MEETING WAS FRIENDLY BUT THE NCNA GAVE NO SIGNS OF A FAVOURABLE RESPONSE TO THE VARIOUS IDEAS PUT TO THEM. INSTEAD TAN WAS AT PAINS TO POINT OUT THE DAMAGE TO RELATIONS THAT MIGHT BE DONE BY A UNLATERALLY IMPOSED QUOTA. WE WILL HAVE TO AWAIT A CONSIDERED RESPONSE BEFORE WE CAN JUDGE WHETHER THE CHINESE WILL, IN PRACTICE, ADOPT A MORE HELPFUL LINE, MEANWHILE TAN UNDERTOOK TO REPORT ALL THAT HAD BEEN SAID, HE WAS GIVEN, INFORMALLY, A COPY OF THE PA'S SPEAKING NOTES.

MACLEHOSE

FILES

HK & GD (6)

UND

SEAD

FED

PS

COPIES TO

HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON

PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS

PS/FUS

SIR A DUFF

MR CORTAZZI

SIR A PARSONS

[SENT ALSO BY BAG TO PEKING]

MR MURRAY

GRE

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