TNAG-0906-FCO40-1116-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 92

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CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 3411

RECEIVED

1980

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 291021Z OCT 79

INDEX

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Me 1 Fow/re

TOP

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.1483 OF 9 OCTOBER,

INFO PRIORITY: PEKING, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.

FOR MCLAREN FROM GOVERNOR.

BRIEF FOR HUA'S VISIT : IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA.

1. I SUGGEST THAT HUA SHOULD BE SPOKEN TO ON THE LINES OF

PARAGRAPH 2 BELOW AND IN THE CONTEXT OF REMARKS ABOUT THE

GENERALLY EXCELLENT STATE OF RELATIONS OVER HONG KONG.

2.

sed 203

IMMIGRATION, LEGAL AND ILLEGAL, REMAINS A VERY SERIOUS

PROBLEM. WE REALISE THAT THE CHINESE HAVE MADE EFFORTS TO

BRING THE NUMBERS DOWN. BUT THEY ARE STILL FAR TOO HIGH.

THE PRESENT RATE OF LEGAL AND ILLEGAL ARRIVALS IS THE EQUIVALENT

OF AT LEAST 125,000 PER YEAR AND MAY, BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL EVADERS,

BE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER. IN THE LAST 21 MONTHS HONG KONG HAS

ABSORBED 230,000 LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. HONG KONG SIMPLY CANNOT ABSORB NUMBERS AT THIS RATE WITHOUT A VERY SERIOUS EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY AND STABILITY OF THE TERRITORY. SOME WAY MUST

BE FOUND OF BRINGING THE NUMBERS DOWN TO THE LEVELS WHICH WERE NORMAL BETWEEN 1975-1977 (1.E 20-25,000 PER YEAR, REPEAT YEAR, FOR UNDETECTED ILLEGALS).

3. WE ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FAILURE

OF LEGAL IMMIGRATION TO DROP AS PROMISED BY THE CHINESE AND

ABOUT THE DISAPPOINTING PESURGENCE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.

ALL THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE CHINESE HAVE NO INTENTION OF

BRINGING LEGAL IMMIGRATION BELOW 150 A DAY. AS FOR ILLEGALS

OVER 5,000 WERE ARRESTED IN SEPTEMBER. AT A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE WE ARE THEREFORE RECEIVING AT A MINIMUM RATE OF 125,000 .

A. YEAR. ON TOP OF 230,000 IN THE LAST 21 MONTHS THIS OBVIOUSLY

WILL NOT DO.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ 4. WE APPEAR