TNAG-2226-FCO40-3198-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Vietnam-1991 — Page 6

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DIRECT AIR SERVICES. WE WERE PREPARED TO START NEGOTIATIONS ON AN

INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ARRANGEMENT THAT WOULD PERMIT THEM. HONG KONG

AIRLINES WERE LIKELY TO WISH TO FLY TO HO CHI MINH CITY AS WELL AS HANOI. IF NORMAL LINKS EXISTED SUCH FLIGHT COULD BE USED FOR REPATRIATION, FOR INSTANCE OF SMALL GROUPS, POSSIBLY WITH ESCORTS. IN THIS WAY PERHAPS SOME ARRIVALS FROM THE SOUTH COULD BE RETURNED DIRECT TO HO CHI MINH CITY. (THIS COMMENT WAS RECEIVED WITH NODDING AND EVIDENT APPROVAL. NEITHER AT THIS POINT NOR WHEN THE SUGGESTION WAS REPEATED DID THE VISITORS EXPRESS RESERVATIONS OR INDEED SEEM TO THINK THIS WAS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A GOOD IDEA).

9 LE THO COMMENTED THAT ALL THESE VIEWS WERE IN ACCORDANCE WITH

VIETNAMESE WISHES AND INTENTIONS. HE NOTED WITH PLEASURE THE RECENT IMPROVEMENT IN RELATIONS BETWEEN VIETNAM AND THE UK AND HONG KONG, AND PARTICULARLY APPRECIATED THE U K POSITION ON EC/VIETNAM RELATIONS. HE WOULD NOTE AND REPORT OUR SUGGESTIONS, BUT SAID THAT PERSONALLY HE SHARED OUR POSITIVE VIEW. ON AIR SERVICES, HE WOULD CONFER WITH THE EMBASSY AFTER DISCUSSING OUR PROPOSAL WITH HIS COLLEAGUES. AS WELL AS DEVELOPING RELATIONS THROUGH THE DIPLOMATIC CHANNEL, LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND VIETNAM COULD BE DEVELOPED THROUGH EXPERT VISITS.

CONSULAR RELATIONS AND VISAS

10. LE THO SAID THAT HE HAD RAISED WITH HMA HANOI THE POSSIBLE

ESTABLISHMENT OF A VIETNAMESE CONSULATE-GENERAL IN HONG KONG. HE

WISHED THEREFORE TO SEEK HKG'S VIEWS. IF A CONSULAR OFFICE IN

HONG KONG BE GRANTED A VISA ISSUING FUNCTION?

11. EHRMAN REFERRED TO THE FACT THAT HONG KONG HAS HITHERTO MAINTAINED A RELATIVELY RESTRICTIVE VISA REGIME. BUT IN FUTURE VIETNAMESE WOULD BE ABLE TO OBTAIN VISAS TO COME TO HONG KONG FOR ANY LEGITIMATE PURPOSE. WE ALSO INTENDED TO REDUCE THE PROCESSING TIME. AT PRESENT THIS COULD TAKE FOUR TO SIX WEEKS. IN PRINCIPLE, IT WOULD BE REDUCED TO TWO WEEKS. THIS DID NOT AMOUNTS TO A GUARANTEE THAT EVERY APPLICATION WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL. BUT THE GENERAL RELAXATION SHOULD BOOST TRADE AND INVESTMENT LINKS. WE WERE ALSO PREPARED TO CONSIDER ALLOWING THE VIETNAMESE PURCHASING

OFFICE TO ISSUE VISAS IN HONG KONG. HOWEVER WE HOPED THAT THIS OFFICE WOULD ISSUE PAPERS FOR VOLUNTARY RETURNEES, AND THAT THIS WOULD REMOVE THE NEED FOR VISITS TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWS.

12. LE THO SAID THAT THE ISSUANCE OF VISAS WOULD BE IN OUR MUTUAL INTEREST. THE VIETNAMESE AGREED THAT WE SHOULD SIMPLIFY

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