CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 243/8
647
154457
MDHIAN 0066
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1360
OF 110809Z AUGUST 88
ons
LSO ADOS DOL
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, HANOI
6644
YOUR TELNO 2070 TO HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: TALKS IN HANOI.
1. I CALLED ON HEAD OF WEST EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT, MFA, ON 11 AUGUST AND LEFT WITH HIM A SPEAKING NOTE DRAWING UPON HONG KONG TELNOS 2990 AND 2991 AS AMENDED BY YOUR TUR.
•
2. I OMITTED ONLY ONE SENTENCE, NAMELY, THE LAST ONE IN PARAGRAPH 8 OF HONG KONG TELNO 2990. AS I REMEMBER FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS IN 1974, THE CHINESE ARE SENSITIVE ABOUT THE LANAGUAGE OVER OUR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE RETURN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA.
3. JIANG ENZHU, IN THANKING ME FOR THIS INFORMATION, SAID THAT IT WAS RIGHT TO GET TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM BY TRYING TO PERSUADE VIETNAM TO ADOPT A RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR OWN PEOPLE AND TO CONVINCE THEM TO TAKE THEM BACK. THE CHINESE THEREFORE HAD THE SAME OBJECTIVES AS THOSE OF HMG (PARAGRAPH 3 A AND B OF HONG KONG TELNO 2990). AS HE HAD EXPLAINED TO ME EARLIER, THE CHINESE SIDE WERE INVESTIGATING THE SITUATION IN THE SOUTH OF CHINA AND WOULD LET ME HAVE A FORMAL RESPONSE IN DUE COURSE. IN THE MEANTIME, HE COULD SAY THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED THE ACTION OF THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES AND HE WAS SURE THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD DO WHAT THEY COULD TO PERSUADE THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE WHO HAPPENED TO CALL AT SOUTH CHINA PORTS NOT TO GO TO HONG KONG. HOWEVER, THE SITUATION WAS COMPLICATED. HE WOULD GIVE ME THE RESULT OF THE INVESTIGATIONS AS SOON AS HE COULD.
DONALD
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CONFIDENTIAL
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