TNAG-1876-FCO40-2667-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1989 — Page 58

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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8. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT HE HAD SPOKEN TO THE VIETNAMESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER IN PARIS AND ASKED HIM TO TAKE FURTHER MEASURES AGAINST ILLEGAL DEPARTURES. THE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER HAD ASKED THE JAPANESE TO LET THE VIETNAMESE HAVE ANY DETAILS OF ORGANISERS OF SUCH DEPARTURES. I SAID THAT THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT THE VIETNAMESE TRIED TO PREVENT DEPARTURES, ALTHOUGH THEY COULD DOUBTLESS DO MORE. BUT EVEN THEN, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP THE OUTFLOW ALTOGETHER AND WE NEEDED THE SAME SORT OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR VIETNAMESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT WE ALREADY HAD FOR THOSE FROM CHINA. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT ONE THING THAT THE JAPANESE COULD DO TO HELP PEOPLE TO RETURN WOULD BE TO TRAIN THEM IN THE CAMPS. I WELCOMED THIS IDEA IF SUCH TRAINING WERE TO TAKE PLACE IN VIETNAM. HELP WITH A TRANSIT CENTRE IN THE PHILIPPINES WOULD ALSO RELEASE SPACE IN HONG KONG TO ENABLE OTHERS TO BE ACCOMMODATED IN BETTER CONDITIONS. I THANKED NAKAYAMA FOR ALL THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WERE DOING IN FINANCIAL AND OTHER WAYS TO HELP HONG KONG WITH THIS PROBLEM. BUT WE WERE HEADING FOR A CLIFF FACE IN TERMS OF TRYING TO MAINTAIN FIRST ASYLUM. AND A NUMBER OF WESTERN GOVERNMENTS REFUSED TO FACE UP TO THIS FACT. I HOPED THAT AT THE RESUMED SC3 IN EARLY DECEMBER IN GENEVA THE JAPANESE DELEGATION COULD HELP US TO GET REALISTIC ANSWERS TO THE PROBLEM WE NOW FACED.

CULTURAL AGREEMENT

9. I THANKED NAKAYAMA FOR CONTINUED JAPANESE CULTURAL CO-

OPERATION WITH HONG KONG. A FIRST AGREEMENT HAD ALREADY BEEN SIGNED FOR CULTURAL ASSISTANCE TO HONG KONG UNIVERSITY AND WE WERE ABOUT TO SIGN A SECOND AGREEMENT FOR THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY.

WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR JAPANESE INTEREST AS WELL AS THEIR FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION. WE SAW THE PROMOTION OF JAPANESE STUDIES

IN HONG KONG AS VITAL IF WE WERE TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS AND

TRADE LINKS.

VISAS

10. I SAID THAT ANOTHER MEANS OF ENCOURAGING ECONOMIC LINKS

BETWEEN JAPAN AND HONG KONG WAS IMPROVEMENTS WITH VISAS. I UNDERSTOOD THAT THE JAPANESE CONSUL-GENERAL HAD RECEIVED COMPLAINTS FROM JAPANESE BUSINESS PEOPLE ABOUT THE TIME FOR PROCESSING

SUCH VISAS. WE AIMED TO QUARTER THE TIME FOR THOSE EMPLOYED BY FIRMS WITH OFFICES ALREADY IN HONG KONG. FOR OTHER EMPLOYMENT VISA APPLICATIONS WE AIMED TO HALVE IT. NAKAYAMA

SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THE COMPLAINTS AND WAS GRATEFUL FOR OUR

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