х
June 1993
Miss F D'Souza
Director
90 Borough Hill (Article XIX
London SE11 1LL
FM 17/6
4. Toissue
2. Mr Morris, HKD
Thank you found faces
MPS / MR GORDLAD
17/6
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Thank you for your letter of 3 June to Douglas Hurd about human rights, in Hong Kong and China. I am our relations with How these countries Hongkong and China.
replying as the Minister responsible
We share your concern about reports of human rights abuses in China. We deplore all such abuses, including the detention of students and others for the free expression of their political beliefs and have repeatedly told the Chinese/so, both in public and private. The Prime Minister, for example, raised human rights in his meetings with senior chinese leaders, most recently with Vice Premier Zhu Rongji op 17 November last year. Douglas Hurd also raised human rights both bilaterally and on behalf of the EC with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen during their meeting in/New York on 25 September last year. The Chinese authorities should be in no doubt about the strength of our views. We will continue to press
them.
Your letter also refers to the question of press freedom in Hong Kong. I mentioned in my letter to you of 9 March the Hong Kong Government was undertaking a review of its press laws. The review has now been completed. It has found that the freedom of the press/is secure under Hong Kong law. However some laws were found to be either obsolete or possibly at odds with the Bill of Rights. The Hong Kong government intends to amend or repeal them as soon as the legislative
them as programme allows.
Article XIX's report on Hong Kong also argued for a Freedom of Information Bill The Hong Kong Government agrees that the Hong Kong public should have greater access to official information but is not convinced that a piece of general declaratory legislation such as a Freedom of Information Ordinance is/the right way to achieve this objective. It is also necessary to address the related questions of data protection/and privacy.
Alastair Goodlad