TNAG-0981-FCO40-1200-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 54

A

· BY BAG ·

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

CONFIDENTIAL

радезін J23.4

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

THA

* Our Ref : SCR 1/6/2091/55

來函檔號 YOUR REF:

·HKK 341|1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

2 3 APR 1980

REGISTRY

14 April 1980

K Sullivan Esq

PEKING

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

Action Teen

Aw 2314

IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA: STATISTICS

2.

The enclosed table gives the major monthly statistical indicators on the problem of immigration from China since January 1979. The figures are set out in a slightly different format from earlier tabulations we have sent you but are not meant to replace any of them. The intention is to have readily to hand monthly figures which show separate totals for those travelling on single and return exit permits, including those returning to China voluntarily on them i.e. within their period of validity and therefore genuine visitors. As you know this is one area in which we would like very soon to see an improvement. The real value of any efforts made by China to reduce the period for which permits are valid (on which we report separately the analyses now done here) will only be if the result is an increase in the proportion who return to China. We will also have to watch closely any sign of an increase in the number of single exit permits issued.

In the past we have talked, perhaps rather loosely, of between 2% and 4% of the monthly total of arrivals from China returning within the period of validity of their travel documents. In fact the significant figure is the proportion of return exit permit-holders who actually return to China. (Single permits are not valid for return and it is misleading to include as genuine visitors those returning on Chinese passports since China now accepts in practice that all passport holders who are not coming to Hong Kong with visas for official visits should have onward travel facilities. While those returning to China in a given month will almost certainly not have arrived in the same month, it should increasingly become true that any passport holders returning to China will not have been counted in our figures of immigrants from China since they will have arrived on passports plus valid onward travel documents). The only percentage of return permit holders going back to China compared only with those arriving on return permits are as follows:

1980

January

al

4.4

1979

/0

January

1.8

February

2.7

February

5.1

March

4.2

March

5.1

April

3.8

Jan Mar

4.9

May

5.1

CONFIDENTIAL

/June