TNAG-2244-FCO40-3225-Most-favoured-nation-status-for-China-impact-on-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 13

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MDHIAN 2

SEND BAKER TO CHINA WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS.

.BUT HE HAD ONLY TAKEN

THAT DECISION AFTER THE CHINESE HAD GIVEN A CLEAR INDICATION THAT

BAKER WOULD NOT LEAVE EMPTY HANDED.

·

4 IT HAD BEEN AGREED WITH THE CHINESE BEFOREHAND THAT THERE WOULD

BE NO FORMAL BANQUETS. THE TWO DINNERS DURING THE VISIT (BY QIAN QICHEN ON THE FIRST EVENING, AND BY MOFERT MINISTER LI LANQING ON THE SECOND) WERE WORKING OCCASIONS WITH NOTETAKERS PRESENT AND NO

TOASTS. THE MAIN BUSINESS WAS DONE WITH QIAN QICHEN. AFTER THE INITIAL MEETING WITH QIAN, DURING WHICH HE GAVE SOME INDICATION OF AREAS IN WHICH PROGRESS MIGHT BE POSSIBLE, THREE WORKING GROUPS WERE SET UP TO DEAL RESPECTIVELY WITH PROLIFERATION QUESTIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRADE. NO PROGRESS WAS MADE IN THESE WORKING GROUPS BUT THEY ENABLED EACH SIDE TO EXPLORE THE OTHER'S POSITIONS." BOTH SIDES ASSUMED FROM THE BEGINNING THAT WHATEVER AGREEMENTS

EMERGED WOULD CONSTITUTE A PACKAGE.

5. BAKER OPENED HIS MEETING WITH QIAN WITH A STATEMENT ABOUT US POLICY AND PURPOSES IN TODAY'S WORLD, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THE US WAS NOT SEEKING TO ACT AS THE SOLE SUPER-POWER. HE RAISED THE

''PEACEFUL EVOLUTION' ISSUE INDIRECTLY BY MAKING IT CLEAR THAT

THE UNITED STATES WAS NOT SEEKING TO UNDERMINE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM

IN CHINA: THAT WAS A MATTER FOR THE CHINESE THEMSELVES TO DECIDE.

BUT HE EMPHASIZED THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD A LEGITIMATE INTEREST IN HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. WITH LI PENG, BAKER LAID OUT THE CONSIDERATIONS WHICH HAD LED THE PRESIDENT TO SEND HIM TO CHINA AT THIS TIME, AND THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF THE VISIT FOR THE FUTURE OF

U S/CHINA RELATIONS. HE LAID MUCH STRESS ON THE NEED FOR PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS. LI PENG PRESSED HARD ON GATT (SEE BELOW). BAKER

ALSO RAISED HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN HIS MEETINGS WITH YANG SHANGKUN

AND JIANG ZEMIN, BUT THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THESE TWO WERE MORE GENERAL IN NATURE, WITH THE CHINESE LEADERS SPEAKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR COOPERATION AND DIALOGUE AND THE AVOIDANCE OF PRESSURE.

THE SESSION WITH LI LANQING CONCENTRATED ON TRADE ISSUES AND THE

MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE ON PRISON ACCESS AND THE MOU ON PRISON LABOUR.

6. ROY CHARACTERISED THE DISCUSSIONS AS VERY LONG, VERY DETAILED AND VERY TOUGH. THEY HAD INDEED BEEN SO TOUGH AND TENSE AT TIMES

THAT IF THERE HAD NOT BEEN A COMMON DESIRE TO PUT THE RELATIONSHIP ON TO A BETTER BASIS, THE TALKS MIGHT WELL HAVE BROKEN DOWN. THE DISCUSSIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES HAD BEEN PARTICULARLY BLUNT, MORE SO THAN ANY ROY COULD RECALL OVER THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS OR

THE CHINESE LEADERS SHOWED SIGNS OF RESENTING BAKER'S STRAIGHT

So.

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