TNAG-0907-FCO40-1117-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 78

CONFIDENTIAL

GR 8 220

FIDENTIAL

FM FCO 161640Z NOV 79

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 967 OF 16 NOVEMBER

INFO WASHINGTON, PEKING

FOR POLITICAL ADVISER FROM CORTAZZI.

HKK3H

BOS..

INDEX

2316

YOUR TELEGRAM NUMBER 1623, PARA 3: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA,

235

236

1. WHEN I SAW MR PONLANDS YESTERDAY HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS CONCERNED

THAT OUR PRESSURE ON THE CHINESE TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMICRATION SHOULD

NOT LEAD TO STRICTER PUNISHMENTS ON ILLEGALS TRYING TO ENTER HONG

KONG. IF IT DID THIS WOULD PAISE ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS ABOUT HUMAN

RIGHTS. IN THIS CONTEXT HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR HONG KONG

TO ACCEPT A RATHER HIGHER LEVEL OF LEGAL IMMIGRATION IN RETURN FOR A

MAJOR DECREASE IN ILLEGAL MIGRATION, I DID NOT COMMENT BUT WE

SHALL HAVE TO WATCH THE PUNISHMENT ASPECT.

2. WHEN I SAW HOLBROOKS, US ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EAST ASIA, TODAY,

I TACKLED HIM ABOUT PEMARKS ATTRIBUTED TO WARREN CHRISTOPHER

ABOUT JACKSON/VANIK AND MEN. I SAID THAT HONG KONG WOULD BE PLACED IN

A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION IF IT SEEMED THAT THE UNITED STATES BY

INSISTING ON UNDERTAKINGS ABOUT FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT WERE CAUSING

AN INCREASE IN THE FLOOD OF CHINESE TRYING TO ENTER HONG KONG.

HOLBROOKE ASSURED ME THAT THE AMERICANS FULLY UNDERSTOOD HONG KONG'S

POSITION AND HAD NO WISH TO CAUSE DIFFICULTIES FOR US. I SAID THAT

I HOPED THEY WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL IN THEIR PRESENTATION IN FUTURE. (OSWALD CHEUNG AND AUBREY LEE MENTIONED THIS TO ME YESTERDAY.)

CARRINGTON

FILES

FED

HK & GD

UND

N AM D

PS/MR BLAKER PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF MR CORTAZZI MR MURRAY

CONFIDENTIAL