TNAG-2169-FCO40-3106-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 21

(Mr Maude) I think there is a change in approach in Peking. There

have been some welcome moves in respect of human rights; a large number of

detainees have been released; martial law has been lifted, both in Peking

and in Tibet, which is very welcome, and most recently the Chinese

authorities agreed that Fang Li Zhi can leave the American Embassy in

Peking and do what he particularly wanted to do, which was to take up the

Royal Society's invitation to pursue his studies here in Britain. So I

think those three developments are welcome ones, ones which drew a good

response from the West and which have been recognised, I think, in the

discussions taking place over the last couple of days in Houston. So far

as Hong Kong is concerned, throughout this process there have been

discussions going on, both in the Joint Liaison Group and then, as I think

is well-known, Sir Percy Craddock and Mr McLaren visited Peking in December

again to pursue some specific Hong Kong issues there and there has been an

atmosphere of, I think, broadly constructive discussion about Hong Kong

which my visit is intended to heighten and pursue.

5.

Mr Rowlands

Minister, how are you going to manage to avoid the impression

that is going to be created and possibly fostered even by the Chinese

authorities that your visit is somehow now back to business as usual,

almost as if Tiananmen Square had not happened? Are you going nevertheless

to make the Government's vigorous position very clear on the fundamental

human rights issue in China itself?

(Mr Maude) Clearly that is bound to be discussed. It would be quite

wrong to operate as though last year's events simply had not occurred.

There is no suggestion that one might proceed in that way and it would be

quite wrong to do so. I shall be making clear to the Chinese Government

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