TNAG-0982-FCO40-1201-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 82

CONFIDENTIAL

CALL ON MR BLAKER BY THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR AT 10.30 AM ON 10 JUNE]

HONG KONG : ESSENTIAL FACTS

GENERAL RELATIONS

1. Apart from the problem of immigration from China, relations

between Hong Kong and the PRC have never been so good. The

Financial Secretary's recent visit was by all accounts an outstanding

success, as was Sir Yuet-keung Kan's trade mission to Guangdong.

The recent signing of a further agreement between the Hong Kong

Government and the Guangdong Provincial Authorities to supply Hong

Kong with additional water, lasting through until at least the mid

1990s, is particularly welcome since it releases Hong Kong from the

need to build additional major reservoirs and desalinators. Contact

between officials from both sides is now almost a daily event.

LEGAL IMMIGRATION

2.

Legal immigration from China has stayed around 150 per day

so far this year. The monthly totals, last year's in brackets,

were: January 4,595 (8,106); February 4,464 (7,570);

March 4,626 (7,628); April 4,605 (6,789); and May 4,494 (5,602).

Although this is encouraging, we would like to see the figures

come down still further and, if possible, to the traditional

figure of 50 per day.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

3.

Illegal immigration from China is one of Hong Kong's major

problems. The numbers repatriated to China from Hong Kong dropped

significantly from 15,202 in December last year (an average of

490 per day) to 4,054 (daily average of 131) in January this year.

This was almost certainly due to new laws against illegal

emigration promulgated by the Guangdong Provincial Authorities.

CONFIDENTIAL

/However