TNAG-0985-FCO40-1204-Immigration-from-China-to-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 43

CONFIDENTIAL

243A

布政司署

U TRE M

NEW OUR REF.:

SCR/62091/55

來陴檔號 YOUR REF.:

R.N. Peirce, Esq.,

British Embassy, PEKING.

Dear Body,

29.

HICK 341|1

RECEIVED IN REGIMAY

31 DECK

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

4 December 1980

The Morice This is rather discouraging fur Cuist of

No VS z iz

Cause it

cooperation and

if they papers represent,

alt atas Broval Chinese Humming which

with and they umaly do. Hong Kong

cannot contime to accept * 255,000 a year michas

m'it's population but it moned be unfortunate to say the least if we come to

fall

"Illegals'

217/12

out with he Chinese ove this because they moved be bound to vince

traditional porivical arguments

I's. right f

of

fre travel.

Frikiano

Legal Immigration from China

15112

As you know, we decided when the new measures to control illegal immigration were taken that we should not try to tackle the problem of legal immigration at the same time. It will be some time before we are in a position to start thinking of possiblé measures to control the numbers coming legally and this, of course, would involve negotiations with the Chinese. An important preliminary step will be closing the loop-holes of passport holders who come to Hong Kong in transit but then remain. That we are already tackling and we look forward to the Chinese response to our proposal that those in transit who overstay should be returned once they have been given every reasonable opportunity to complete their onward journey.

We have had two recent indications in the Left Wing press here of Chinese attitudes on legal immigration: an article by Chen Zheng in the Ta Kung Pao on 17 November (which was also carried in the newspaper's weekly English edition) and an editorial in the Wen Wei Po on 22 November. Translations of both are enclosed. These suggest that when we decide to take up this question there could be considerable problems. Although the Chinese have told us return travel permits would be issued for shorter periods of validity from October, there is as yet no sign of this happening. I enclose a copy of our latest returns for the week 10-16 November. During this period 72% of the permits were valid for a year or more when issued. In fact, the pattern has not changed significantly since we started monitoring exit permits earlier this year.

cc (with enclosures)

Yours ever,

Iain

(I C Orr)

Assistant Political Adviser

P. Williamson Esq., HKGD, FCO A.R. Paul, Esq., FED, FCO

CONFIDENTIAL