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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, UKMIS NEW YORK INFO SAVING SHANGHAI
LORD CAITHNESS'VISIT: MEETING WITH TIAN ZENGPEI, 27 NOVEMBER:
HUMAN RIGHTS
SUMMARY
1.
WIDE-RANGING DISCUSSION ON STANDARD LINES. CHINESE PROVIDE SLIGHTLY MORE INFORMATION ON PRIME MINISTER'S LIST. WE PRESS FOR MORE DETAIL. CHINESE STUDYING QUESTION OF ACCESSION TO TWO MORE
HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTIONS.
DETAIL
2. LORD CAITHNESS RECALLED THE DISCUSSION WITH TIAN IN LONDON IN
NOVEMBER 1990. SINCE THEN HE HAD READ WITH INTEREST THE CHINESE
'WHITE PAPER' ON HUMAN RIGHTS. DID THE CHINESE SIDE HAVE A
DETAILED RESPONSE TO THE LIST OF DETAINEES HANDED OVER DURING THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA? LORD CAITHNESS ADDED THAT THE RELEASE OF LUO HAIXING HAD BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED IN HONG KONG AND BRITAIN. HE NOTED THAT LU SHANGQING WAS DUE FOR RELEASE IN DECEMBER AND HE HOPED FOR THE EARLY RELEASE OF LI LONGQING, LI PEICHENG AND WU JIGUANG. MR GUMMER HAD ALSO SENT A LIST OF DETAINED ROMAN CATHOLICS, A COPY OF WHICH COULD BE PROVIDED TO THE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER. LORD CAITHNESS TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION FOR THE COOPERATION GIVEN TO HMA AND HIS STAFF IN FACILITATING ACCESS TO THREE BRITISH CITIZENS DETAINED IN CHINA, EVEN THOUGH THESE WERE NOT HUMAN RIGHTS CASES.
3. TIAN SAID THAT, HAVING READ THE WHITE PAPER, LORD CAITHNESS WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HUMAN RIGHTS. THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN CHINA
WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ITS SOCIAL CONDITIONS AND HISTORY.
CHINA'S INTERPRETATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS INCLUDED NOT
ONLY POLITICAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS BUT ALSO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
RIGHTS. EQUAL WEIGHT WAS GIVEN TO BOTH. THE CHINESE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS PROVIDED FOR POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND OTHER RIGHTS AND ALSO GUARANTEES. THE EXERCISE OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS WAS PROTECTED BY LAW BUT ALSO CONSTRAINED BY IT. THOSE WHO VIOLATED THE LAW WOULD BE
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