TNAG-2182-FCO40-3119-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 97

References: A:

B:

CONFIDENTIAL

Canberra teleletter of 29 August

Letter from Canberra of 23 July

HONG KONG: INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Background

1.

The Australian Government are sympathetic to the problems Hong Kong faces. They are one of the major trading partners of Hong Kong and they realise that it is in their own national interests to keep Hong Kong prosperous.

2. The Australian community in Hong Kong is 10,000 strong

and there are 300 Australian companies based there. Hong Kong is Australia's fourth largest market for exports, their

third largest source of migrants and their largest source of business migrants.

3.

However, despite the importance of Hong Kong's continued stability and prosperity to Australia, the Australian

Government have been unwilling to set up a scheme specifically for Hong Kong. They take the view that their A existing worldwide immigration policy gives sufficient

flexibility and scope for certain categories of persons eg

employees of Australian companies in Hong Kong and other businessmen, in practical terms to defer permanent residence

in Australia for a number of years after having been granted

residency status. Such arrangements do help but are not ideal: the individuals concerned would have to spend a

proportion of their time in Australia, thereby disrupting

their lives in Hong Kong. The Australians have also

tightened up this arrangement requring business migrants to sign a statement saying that if they did not comply with

the visa terms their residency might be revoked.

B

4. The Australians have told us that they are in the process of reviewing their overall policy on Hong Kong which will include immigration. It would be useful to know any

TOYAGY/2

CONFIDENTIAL