TNAG-0906-FCO40-1116-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 137

BL

GRS 378

CONFIDENTIAL

PX PEKING 060374Z SEP 79

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO PRIORITY FCO,

CONFIDENTIAL

TELEGRAM NUMBER 69 OF 6 SEPTEMBER

AKK 341/1

DALLIVED IN REGEARY NO. ST - 7 SEP 1979

INDEX

TOP COR

CHICER

Pl

7/9

YOUR TELNOS 1228 AND 1237 TO FCO: IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

REGISTRY

Action Taken

FIRST SECRETARY TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY OF A MEETING ON 5 SEPT- EMBER WITH ZHENG YAOWEN OF WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPT, MFA TO DISCUSS NOT ONLY THE ISSUE OF CHINESE PASSPORT HOLDERS ENTERING HONG KONG 142A

WITH ONWARD VISAS (ORR'S LETTER CR11/2791/79 OF 17 AND 23 AUGUST TO SULLIVAN AND SULLIVAN'S REPLY OF 3 SEPTEMBER) BUT ALSO TO HAND OVER THE FIGURES IN FIRST REFTEL AND TO REPEAT THE POINTS MADE BY ORR TO NONA IN THE SECOND.

2.

175

ON LEGAL IMMIGRATION, ZHENG PROMISED TO REPORT OUR REMARKS. HE UNDERSTOOD OUR DISMAY AT THE RISE IN NUMBERS FROM JULY TO AUGUST AND SAID HE WAS SURE EFFORTS WOULD BE MADE TO BRING THEK DOWN AGAIN. SULLIVAN STRESSED THAT WE WERE NOT MERELY ASKING THAT NUMBERS DROP TO THE JULY LEVELS THEY WOULD NEED TO CONTINUE TO FALL, HOPEFULLY TO WELL BELOW 100 PER DAY.

3. ZHENG SAID THAT THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US ON THE QUESTION OF ILLEGALS. HE REGRETTED THE RISE AND PROMISED THAT THE NECESSARY ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN. HE WONDERED WHETHER THE INCREASE IN AUGUST WAS NOT DUE TO DIFFICULT CONDITIONS FOR THE BORDER QUARDS DURING THE VERY BAD TYPHOON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. SULLIVAN POINTED TO THE LATHST FIGURES FOR THE WEEK 28 AUGUST TO 3 SEPTEMBER (YOUR TELNO,1234).

CONFIDENTIRE