TNAG-1348-FCO40-1789-Visas-and-transit-arrangements-for-Chinese-nationals-visitin-1984 — Page 41

INDEX

PFOISTRY,

чех

GR 570

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTAL

FM PEKING 150500Z JAN 34

TO ROUTINE FOO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 74 OF 16 JANUARY

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG

TOP COPY

-> → Miss Wolbe, HKD

TRANSIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR PRC NATIONALS THROUGH HONG KONG

720549/1

1. IN THE COURSE OF THE MEETING REPORTED IN MY TELNO 72 HUANG ZHIRONG RAISED THE QUESTION OF TRANSIT OF PRC NATIONALS INFORMALLY. HE SAID THAT THE POINT OF DIVERGENCE CONCERNED CHINESE NATIONALS RESIDENT IN THIRD COUNTRIES WHO WERE UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO RETURN TO THE IR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE. THE NUMBER OF PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY MUST BE VERY SMALL. HE DID NOT THINK IT REASONABLE OF THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES TO HOLD UP THE AGREEMENT ON A QUESTION INVOLVING SUCH A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

2. I TOOK HIM UP FAIRLY SHARPLY ON THIS. I SAID THAT IN THE

LAST RESORT IT WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COUNTRY WHICH ISSUED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS TO ITS CITIZENS TO ACCEPT THEM BACK IF THEY HAD NWHERE ELSE TO GO. THIS WAS ALL WE WERE ASKING. THE QUESTION RELATED ONLY TO HOLDERS OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS OTHER THAN PASSPORTS. IT WAS QUITE UNACCEPTABLE TO EXPECT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES TO UNDERTAKE AN OBLIGATION ON VISAS TOWARDS THEM UNLESS THE CHINESE SIDE WERE PREPARED TO UNDERTAKE A MATCHING OBLIGATION TO RECEIVE THEM BACK IN THE LAST RESORT. A LONG AND STERILE WRANGLE FOLLOWED FINALLY HUANG SAID THAT HE

WOULD SUGGEST THAT ZHANG RUI CALLED ME FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS.

COMMENT

·

3. DETECTED NO GIVE AT ALL IN THE CHINESE POSITION. THE PROBLEM LIES ESSENTIALLY IN THE FACT THAT THEY REGARD THE

AGREEMENT TO RECEIVE BACK HOLDERS OF CHINESE PASSPORTS AS REFERRING ONLY TO THOSE NORMALLY RESIDENT IN CHINA, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS NOT WHAT THE AGREEMENT SAYS. THIS IS WHY A COMMITMENT TO RECEIVE BACK PERSONS NOT HORMALLY RESIDENT IN CHINA SEEMS

TO THEM A NEW DEVELOPMENT.

4. SO FAR AS WE KNOW, IN SPITE OF THE DIVERGENCES OF VIEW ON THE MEANING OF PARAGRAPH 3 OF THE AGREEMENT, PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES HAVE NOT ARISEN IN THE LAST 2 YEARS OVER CHINESE PASSPORT HOLDERS RESIDENT IN 3RD COUNTRIES. THE PRESENT DILEMMA ONLY CONCERNS HOLDERS OF TRAVEL DOCUMENTS. WE SHOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT SORT OF NUMBERS OF PERSONS THE HONG KONG IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES THINK WE MIGHT BE TALKING ABOUT. IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT OUR RIGHT TO MAKE EXCEPTIONS TO THE ISSUE OF

CONFIDENTAL

/VISAS

ра

HKK 345/4.

ALCEIVED MEREGISTRY

see (2