not qualify as refugees.
RESTRICTED
China
12.
It
Mr Schori asked for Mr Maude's views on China. He
wondered if a new generation of enlightened leaders was
about to emerge. Mr Maude said that it was impossible to
be absolutely certain about what was happening in China. But there was a group of so-called "younger" people, in Chinese leadership terms, who were waiting their turn. was impossible yet to identify a Gorbachev equivalent. Political reform was not yet a live issue as in Eastern and
Central Europe and the Soviet Union. The demonstrations in the earlier part of last year were mainly a reaction to
economic reform. People were objecting not only to higher
prices but also to the corruption which the economic reforms brought in their wake. There seemed to be a power struggle
going on. Some of the so-called younger leaders were sophisticated and economically literate and once they emerged from the shadows could probably manage to contain
the economic reform. Mr Schori asked about the signals the
outside world had been sending to the Chinese leadership following the events in Tiananmen Square. Mr Maude said the United Kingdom had had to continue to talk to the Chinese
leadership because of Hong Kong. He was likely to be going
to Peking later that year. Mr Schori agreed that dialogue
was essential: it should include the improvement of human
rights as a standard item. Mr Maude said that there had
been some improvement in the human rights situation in China which might seem to be cosmetic but had been sufficient to persuade Washington to reinstate Most Favoured Nation status. Dialogue had to be renewed. But the prospects of change depended on the order in which the old men in the
leadership died. Mr Schori said he would be interested to see a report of Mr Maude's visit to Peking. Mr Maude said that the European Community needed now to look again at the
Madrid measures. Twelve months was a decent period of
mourning.
P12AAC/7
RESTRICTED
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.