CONFIDENTIAL
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MDLIAN 0572
VIETNAM OR ON TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WERE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ISSUE AND DID NOT WANT IT TO BECOME A BURDEN ON THE SARG. GUO THOUGHT THAT THE IMPORT OF WHATEVER LI HOU HAD SAID TO THE PRESS REFLECTED THIS CONCERN.
3. TURNING TO THE QUESTION OF ECVIIS FROM GUANGXI PROVINCE, WHICH I HAD ALSO RAISED (PARA 11 OF HONG KONG TELNO 200 TO YOU), GUO SAID THAT THOSE PEOPLE HAD CLEARLY MISUNDERSTOOD NEWS OF
RECENT MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THIS
REFLECTED THE NEED FOR ANY MEASURES ADOPTED IN AN ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE PLACE LIKE HONG KONG TO BE GIVEN THE MOST CAREFUL THOUGHT. CHINA WANTED TO SEE THE ECVIIS FROM GUANGXI RETURNED
TO THE MAINLAND BUT THERE WERE PROCEDURES WHICH HAD TO BE FOLLOWED. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HOPED THAT THESE COULD BE SPEEDED UP. HE KNEW THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD SUGGESTED THE POSSIBILITY OF SENDING A TEAM TO NANNING TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE. THE CHINESE SIDE'S RESPONSE WOULD BE FORTHCOMING SOON AND WOULD PROBABLY BE GIVEN TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH. IN ADVANCE OF THIS, HE COULD TELL ME THAT THE AUTHORITIES IN NANNING AND THOSE CONCERNED IN PEKING
SAW NO NEED FOR A HONG KONG TEAM TO TRAVEL TO GUANGXI TO DISCUSS
THE ISSUE. THE PROBLEM WAS VERY COMPLEX AND SENSITIVE AND GUO THOUGHT IT BEST THAT WE SHOULD DISCUSS SUCH MATTERS AMONG
OURSELVES WITHOUT INVOLVING PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES. IF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SENT A TEAM TO NANNING, THIS COULD CAUSE UNHELPFUL PRESS SPECULATION.
4. GUO CONCLUDED BY SAYING THAT HE WOULD STUDY THE HANSARD
TEXT AND THE PRESS RELEASE AND WOULD LET ME KNOW IF HE HAD
ANYTHING FURTHER TO SAY.
✓
5.
I SAID THAT, AS FAR AS OUR PROPOSAL THAT A TEAM FROM HONG KONG SHOULD VISIT NANNING WAS CONCERNED, WE HAD NO WISH TO INTERFERE WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN GUANGXI. SENDING A TEAM
TO NANNING WAS NOT IMPORTANT IN ITSELF BUT WE DID HOPE THAT
WE COULD COUNT ON THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FOR EARLY ACTION IN
ENSURING THAT THE LATEST BATCH OF ECVIIS WAS RETURNED TO
CHINA SOON.
6. I THEN WENT ON TO RAISE THE QUESTION OF COAST HOPPING, DRAWING ON THE LATEST INFORMATION IN HONG KONG TELNO 195.
GUO SAID THAT THE AUTHORITIES IN PEKING WOULD DO ALL THEY
COULD TO ENSURE THAT ALL NECESSARY MEASURES WERE TAKEN AND
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