CONFIDENTIAL
001053
MDHIAN 0174
THE BORDER. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TOOK STRICT MEASURES TO
PREVENT CHINESE FROM ENTERING HONG KONG ILLEGALLY: CHINA WOULD ENFORCE THE LAW STRICTLY AND STRENGTHEN MEASURES IN THIS REGARD.
IT WAS NOT LOGICAL THAT THEY SHOULD NOT DO THE SAME WITH VIETNAMESE. LI DREW ATTENTION TO INCREASED CALLS IN THE HONG KONG MEDIA FOR THE ENDING OF THE POLICY OF FIRST ASYLUM. THIS POLICY HAD RESULTED IN THE RECENT INCREASE IN VIETNAMESE ARRIVALS.
HE HOPED HMG WOULD FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS QUESTION.
19. ON THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE LI SAID THAT CHINA HAD OFTEN GIVEN
ITS OPINION OF THIS QUESTION. HE WOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER.
20. LI THEN REFERRED TO CHINA'S MEN STATUS. SINCE HONG KONG'S
STABILITY AND PROSPERITY WERE CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH THAT OF THE MAINLAND, IT WAS IN BOTH SIDE'S INTERESTS TO ENSURE THAT THE US GOVERNMENT RENEWED MEN STATUS FOR CHINA. CHINA WAS LARGE AND
COULD SUSTAIN THE LOSS OF MFN STATUS. HONG KONG WAS VERY SMALL AND WOULD FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COPE. LI THANKED MR. MAUDE FOR THE GREAT EFFORTS MADE BY BRITAIN, AND IN PARTICULAR BY MRS. THATCHER, BY THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES (ESPECIALLY THE GOVERNOR),
AND BY INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL CIRCLES IN HONG KONG IN LOBBYING
THE US GOVERNMENT ON THIS MATTER. BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT YET RESOLVED, FURTHER JOINT EFFORTS WERE NEEDED. LI SAID THAT HE WAS PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL TO SIR DAVID WILSON FOR GOING TO THE UNITED STATES AND DELIVERING A GOOD SPEECH THERE. THE US ALSO HAD A LOT AT STAKE. FOR EXAMPLE BOEING HAS DONE US DOLLARS 4 BILLION OF BUSINESS WITH CHINA, AND CHINA IMPORTED WHEAT WORTH US DOLLARS 8 BILLION FROM THE US ANNUALLY.
21. MR. MAUDE AGREED THAT THERE MIGHT BE MORE TO BE DONE TO ENSURE CONTINUATION OF CHINA'S MEN STATUS. HE HAD HIMSELF
LOBBIED CONGRESSMEN AND THE US GOVERNMENT IN JUNE, URGING THE
EARLY RE-GRANTING OF MEN STATUS.
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