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Peking Lawyers Office, Kang Jian and Ge Xiaopei.
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10. The meeting at CASS with those interested in human rights also took in Professor Zhang, known to this Embassy, and a distinguished scholar of French history. This was followed by
meeting with the State Council Information Office headed by Zhou Jie, a former Ambassador to France. Schacht used this meeting to criticise Marxist-Leninism as practised in China for being unrelated to real Australian socialism. Human rights was squeezed out. The next meeting was with Li Zuoming, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Front Department, who is a fluent Tibetan speaker, to discuss minorities and religion.
Li was
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supported by representatives from the Nationalities Institute and the Religious Affairs Bureau. This was a constructive meeting, though better on minorities than on religion per se. The Chinese side ducked a question on how they drew a distinction between religion and "feudal superstition". The delegation, which had taken advice from the Dalai Lama's representatives in Dharamsala, steered off the question of the sovereignty of Tibet.
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11.
The visit to Peking No 1 Prison, arranged at the last moment, was a complete waste of time. There were almost no prisoners in the cells, conditions were ideal and the visit was only relieved by the sight of Li Deming, the chief minder from PIFA, rushing up to an Australian Channel Ten TV team filming outside the prison gates, sticking his hand over the lens and shouting to Schacht that he was "a very naughty person" to have arranged press coverage.
12. There was also a routine discussion with the International Organisations Department of the MFA on Chinese and Australian participation in international human rights meetings, and with Consular Section to discuss the human rights of Chinese in Australia including the return of fees
of fees to those registered with language schools which had collapsed. When the Australian delegation raised the question of surveillance by the Chinese Consulate-General on Chinese students in Australia, Consular Depart- ment replied "China has the right to protect itself from domestic and external enemies anywhere in the world".
13. During the visit the delegation had constantly asked to see a senior figure. In the end Vice-Premier Zhu Rongji was produced. He came across as an intelligent and impressive performer and let slip in a deliberate aside that he personally had intervened to see if the death sentences on those who burned a train in Shanghai could be commuted. He added his action was in direct response to international appeals for clemency, including one from Chancellor
Following the meeting Schacht checked with the Australian Foreign Minister before issuing a formal invitation for Zhu to visit Australia later this year.
Kohl.
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