0494536249 P.26
14-JUL-1993 16:39
-
JAMES LEE
TRANSCRIPT B MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD - FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT
14 JULY 1993
COMMITTEE
→
-
25
-
I recognise that in all of Chinese history there has been no real record of democracy, it is not new that it has happened during the present sort of government in China and it has been there before, but it is extremely disturbing that this is so in a country which is a permanent member of the Security Council and indeed is expected to vote on issues involving human rights in other
countries as it has had to in the very recent past over issues
I wonder such as those in Bosnia and other parts of the world.
how you see our influence being exercised in the future?
MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD:
I wholly share your concern as of course does the Government.
Human rights in China, including Tibet, are a central issue in our
bilateral relations with the Chinese and on the agenda at every
ministerial meeting and we and the Community have repeatedly urged
the Chinese authorities to adhere to internationally recognised
behaviour and to improve their record over human rights and most recently the Foreign Secretary raised human rights and Tibet with
his opposite number last week.
Lord Howe and his team went to China and produced the report which
is in the library of the House; the Chinese assisted with that
and co-operated with that and it is a valuable report and it makes practical suggestions for improvements and I hope that the Chinese government will view the report as a constructive contribution and
give it careful and also positive consideration. Lord Howe handed
over two lists of cases of concern as we have in the past and we