TNAG-0904-FCO40-1114-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 64

CONFIDENTIAL

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PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts Roperts

IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA INTO HONG KONG

- 9 MAR 1979

3

No. 51

REGISTRY

Action Taken

1. Legal immigration from China into Hong Kong is continuing at a very high level. The daily average of arrivals last month was 270 (over 88,000 on an annual basis). This is better than the figures for November and December (the two worst months of 1978, with 332 and 311 respectively) but worse than the January average (262). By comparison the daily average of arrivals for January 1978 was only 92.

2. My submission af 23 February described the background to the problem and recommended approval of the Governor's proposal that the Chinese should be given a further warning that the Hong Kong Government would have to restrict the numbers of arrivals unless the Chinese themselves took the necessary steps to reduce the flow to about 50 a day. I withdrew this submission on receipt of Peking telegram No 270 recommending a somewhat different approach from the one which the Governor had in mind. However, Mr Cradock's proposal has now been overtaken by a new approach from the Chinese side, reported in Hong Kong telegram No 335.

3.

The Chinese have told the Hong Kong Government locally through the NCNA that they are considering introducing new procedures intended to limit the numbers of those settling permanently in Hong Kong. There would be two kinds of travel permit: single journey (ie exit) permits for those with good reasons to stay in Hong Kong, and double journey (ie exit and re-entry) permits for short visits only. The NCNA indicated that the first type of permit would be issued in comparatively small numbers, and suggested that holders of double journey permits who overstayed could be sent

back to China.

4.

The Governor regards these proposals as a move in the right direction but does not think they would solve the problem by themselves. The main snag is that it is virtually impossible, politically and administratively, to send people back to China against their will once they have spent more than a very short

CONFIDENTIAL