TNAG-1630-FCO40-2246-Visits-by-Hong-Kong-Government-officials-to-China--the-UK-an-1987 — Page 9

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

026/3

D G Martin Esq British Embassy Lisbon

HLS 02613

Telephone 01- 270 2650

Your reference

Our reference ACEAFS

72

02 NC 1987

Date

28 October 1987

Dear Dong,

VISIT TO LISBON OF HEAD OF HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE, BRUSSELS: 12 13 NOVEMBER

1.

Thank you for your letter of 20 October to Richard Lavers. whom I have succeeded.

2

But

As this is Webb Johnson's first visit to Portugal in his new capacity I think it would be helpful if you or someone from the Embassy could offer to accompany him on his calls we would be happy to leave it to you to judge whether it would be necessary or particularly useful for the Embassy to accompany him

This would obviously depend to some on any subsequent visits. extent on the content of the visit and on whether subjects were likely to arise in which the Embassy were also involved it is worth my own recent experience in The Hague of the Hong Kong Government Office in Brussels visited on a regular basis was that it was rarely necessary for the Embassy to accompany, or even to make appointments for the visitors, once

But a call by the they had established their own contacts. visitors on the Embassy in the course of the visit was invariably helpful to both sides.

3.

For what which members

The purpose of Webb Johnson's call on the MFA will undoubtedly be to encourage them to accept vietnamese refugees

According to from Hong Kong camps for resettlement in Portugal. our records. the Portuguese have never taken any Vietnamese refugees from Hong Kong, and we do not appear to have approached. them on the subject recently The refugee situation in Hong Kong has deteriorated in recent months: the rate of arrivals has doubled and the rate of resettlement has declined by about a half. We decided earlier this year to accept an additional 468 refugees from Hong Kong (the total we have accepted since 1975 is almost 13,000) and followed this up with a diplomatic initiative with all the major resettlement countries to encourage them to follow our example. The response so far has been disappointing: Vietnamese refugees are only one (rather unfashionable) element in a world wide problem and in any case there is a growing feeling that most

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