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House of Lords
of Lords and
Friday, 13th February, 1981.
House met at eleven of the clock: The LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.
Prayers-Read by the Lord Bishop of Truro.
Hong Kong: Expiry of Lease
Lord Brockway: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the future of Hong Kong was discussed at the meeting in October of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China and, if so, whether any understandings were reached.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Depart- ment of Trade (Lord Trefgarne): No, my Lords.
Lord Brockway: My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether time is not now short, since within a few years the Chinese lease for a decisive area of Hong Kong will be ended? Is it not desirable that the present ambiguity should be replaced by negotiations for a constructive agreement?
Lord Trefgarne: My Lords, our policy in this matter has two important strains. On the one hand, there is our commitment to the territory, which has been announced before today from this Box, and I confirm it again now; and, on the other there are our excellent relations with the People's Republic of China. We have no doubt that this matter will be resolved in good time.
Lord Campbell of Croy: My Lords, as relations with the Peking Government have, happily, been improving over the last five years or so, and since there are nearly 20 years before the lease is due to run out, would it not be best to allow matters to proceed as they are at the moment?
Lord Trefgarne: My Lords, it is, of course, important to ensure that the confidence of the business community and others in Hong Kong is maintained. Therefore, it is. I am sure, desirable that this matter should be resolved well in advance of the expiry of the lease, and I have no doubt that it will be.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts: My Lords, will the Minister confirm, once more, that our understanding with China in regard to Hong Kong is part of the undoubtedly excellent relations that we now enjoy with the People's Republic of China, and that, however informal that understanding may be, it has proved workable and augurs well for the future, which both previous supple- mentary questions have raised?
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Lord Trefgarne: Yes, indeed, my Lords. There is no doubt that the People's Republic of China derive very considerable benefit-for example, in terms of foreign exchange earnings-from the present arrangements with regard to the territory, and I can say that they are certainly well aware of our views, which I do not think depart very far from theire
European Disamment diference pro als
18 FEB 1981
11.8 a.m.
DECK OFFICER
REGISTRY Lord Brockway Mods, beg leave to ask then second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
میل
The Question was as follows:
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To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the undertaking by Chancellor Schmidt and President Giscard d'Estaing, stated in the communiqué after their summit meeting in Paris on 6th February, to work together to set up a European disarmament conference.
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Lord Trefgarne: My Lords, the Government support the proposal for a conference on disarmament in Europe tabled at the Madrid CSCE Review Meeting on 9th December by France. We shall be working with our allies for the adoption of this proposal, which would open the way for confidence-building measures applying to the whole of Europe.
Lord Brockway: My Lords, while I welcome that reply, may I ask the Minister whether he can clarify the nature of the European conference that is proposed? Is he aware that France is limiting it to observational manoeuvres of a larger area and information, while West Germany has been proposing actual measures of disarmament? Will the Government support the fullest terms of reference for this conference, particu- larly to end the nuclear confrontation in Europe?
Lord Trefgarne: My Lords, the French proposal envisages, initially, negotiations on militarily significant, verifiable and binding confidence-building measures, to which the noble Lord refers, applying to the whole of Europe; that is to say, from the Atlantic to the Urals. The results of this initial stage of the conference would be submitted to the next CSCE follow-up meeting, which would examine, in the light of the progress, how efforts towards security and disarmament in Europe should be continued. It is true to say that there are a number of other proposals for conferences of one sort or another put forward by, for example, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia and Sweden. Some of them, however, have some shortcomings. In particular, some of them do not go farther east than Germany itself, leaving the area adjacent to the border, but inside the Soviet Union, unaffected.
Lord Brockway: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply.
Lord Goronwy-Roberts: My Lords, will the Minister confirm that this is essentially an attempt to strengthen
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