TNAG-1095-FCO40-1345-Visas-for-Chinese-nationals-visiting-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 35

(41

33

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GR 600

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FM PEKING 230318Z OCT 81

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 639 OF 23 OCTOBER

AND TO PJIORITY HONG KONG (GOVERNOR)

OUR TELNO 560: HONG KONG TRANSIT VISAS

HKK

Hike 345/4

26 OCT 1981

DESK OFFICER INDEX

.་

PA

Action Takeo

17.00 10028/10 согоро

1. ON 21 OCTOBER HEAD OF CHANCERY WAS SUMMONED TO MFA BY LIU

QING YOU OF CONSULAR DEPARTMENT, TO RECEIVE THEIR RESPONSE TO OUR BOUT DE PAPER (COPY ENCLOSED WITH PEIRCE'S LETTER OF 7 SEPTEMBER TO WILLIAMSON) ON HONG KONG TRANSIT VISAS.

3J

See

2. LIU SAID THAT OUR PROPOSALS HAD BEEN STUDIED CAREFULLY. SINCE THE MATTER WAS RAISED BY HUANG HUA WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE, SOME PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE., AGREEMENT HAD BE ACHIEVED ON SEVERAL POINTS. HE THEN READ FROM A PREPARED STATEMENT THE POINTS ON WHICH HE CONSIDERED AGREEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED, HE ADDED THAT THE STATEMENT COULD BE USED AS A BASIS FOR AN UNDERSTANDING IN THE FORM OF AN EXCHANGE OF NOTES. TRANSLATED TEXT OF STATEMENT IN MI P T (COPY OF CHINESE LANGUAGE VERSION See (43,

BY BAG).

See (42

3. LIU EXPANDED ON PARA 2 OF THE CHINESE STATEMENT AND SAID THAT OVERSEAS CHINESE WER EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING VISAS TO VISIT HONG KONG ON THEIR RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF RESIDENCE. HE SAID THAT THE MFA FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY THEY COULD NOT GET A VISA IN PEKING BUT HAD TO TRAVEL TO LO WU. THEY RECEIVED MANY LETTERS COMPLAINING ABOUT SUCH ''DISCRIMINATION? HE HANDED ATKINSON A LETTER OF

COMPLAINT FROM AN OVERSEAS CHINESE RESIDENT IN THE MALAGASY REPUBLIC ABOUT HONG KONG IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES FOR OVERSEAS

CHINESE (COPY BY BAG). IN HANDING OVER THE LETTER SEAS

MADE

A POINT OF SAYING THAT HE WAS ONLY DOING SO IN ØRDER THAT IT COULD SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE, AND THAT HE WAS NOT PROTESTING AS REQUESTED BY THE WRITER.

RAISED BY A PRC CITIZEN. ON

it'.

4. IN REPLY ATKINSON SAID THAT AS LIU WAS AWARE, WE AND THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES WERE WILL TO INVESTIGATE ANY COMPLAINT

THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG TRANSIT VISAS FOR OVERSEAS CHINESE, ATKINSON WAS ABLE TO TELL LIU THAT ALL OUR VISA OFFICES ARE NOW AUTHORISED TO GRANT DOUBLE JOURNEY TRANSIT VISAS TO HOLDERS OF PRC PASSPORTS. THIS SHOULD THEREFORE NO LONGER BE A PROBLEM. LIU REPLIED THAT THIS WAS ''GOOD'' AND THAT IT WENT A LONG WAY TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM''. HE POINTED OUT THAT THIS WOULD NOT COVER ANY OVERSEAS CHINESE WHO ONLY DECIDED TO VISIT HONG KONG DURING A VISIT TO CHINA. BUT LIU AGREED THAT THE NUMBER OF SUCH PEOPLE WOULD BE SMALL AND SUGGESTED THAT THIS COULD BE THE SUBJECT OF FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS.

"

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