TNAG-1971-FCO40-2804-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation-1989 — Page 69

Action with the Chinese

CONFIDENTIAL

13.

The Governor has put forward various suggestions about how we

might get across to the Chinese the seriousness of the situation and

to press them to shoulder their share of the responsibility.

F G I attach Hong Kong telnos 1077 and 1143 which propose that:

(a) the Chinese should be asked to set up a regional holding

centre in Southern China for boat people in Hong Kong and elsewhere awaiting screening:

(b)

that those boat people who arrive in unseaworthy boats and who therefore spend a significant period in Chinese ports should be

regarded as landed in China and should be kept there until they can

go back to Vietnam.

I am not keen on (a). It is most unlikely that the Chinese would

agree to this; and if they did, they would certainly demand some form of quid pro quo (eg the right to have a say in Hong Kong's boat people policy). In any case we would need to take care not to undermine the (more viable) ASEAN initiative to promote a holding centre in the Philippines. Proposal (b) is much simpler, more

It does

practicable, and in our judgement more likely to succeed.

not entail the same presentational difficulties as (a). We propose to endorse the Governor's suggestion.

Action with the Vietnamese

14.

Hong Kong telno 1076 proposes linking the resumption of international aid with a more forthcoming attitude by the Vietnamese on repatriation. This idea seems flawed to us for many reasons: in particular we doubt whether potential aid donors (eg the French)

would be willing to make such a link. We for our part would

certainly wish to attach other conditions to any (limited aid) to Vietnam, eg economic reform, progress on human rights etc. We have not therefore taken up Hong Kong's idea.

CONFIDENTIAL