TNAG-2353-FCO40-3423-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1991 — Page 65

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PUNISHED BECAUSE THEY INFRINGED UPON THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. THEY WOULD BE PUNISHED ACCORDING TO THE LAW, AS IN ALL SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES. CHINA WAS NOT OPPOSED TO EXCHANGING VIEWS ON HUMAN RIGHTS BUT DISCUSSION COULD NOT BE CONFINED TO HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA. CHINA WAS ENGAGED IN SUCH DISCUSSIONS WITH MANY COUNTRIES.

4.

TIAN SAID THAT LORD CAITHNESS HAD MENTIONED LISTS WHICH HAD

BEEN HANDED TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. CHINA WAS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO RESPOND TO THESE BUT WOULD DO SO IN ORDER TO CLARIFY THE SITUATION. HE SAID THAT THE PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTRY AND THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HAD CHECKED THE 37 NAMES ON THE LIST HANDED

OVER DURING THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT. THEY HAD FOUND THAT 4 OF THESE HAD NEVER BEEN IN CUSTODY, 5 HAD ALREADY BEEN RELEASED, 2 COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED BECAUSE OF INACCURACIES, 25 HAD BEEN SENTENCED BECAUSE THEY HAD VIOLATED THE LAW AND ONE WAS UNDERGOING EDUCATION THROUGH LABOUR. THESE CASES, INCLUDING THOSE INVOLVING HONG KONG RESIDENTS, HAD BEEN HANDLED ACCORDING TO THE LAW. ALL WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED HAD BEEN AND ALL WHO WERE IN CUSTODY SHOULD BE AND WOULD SERVE OUT THEIR SENTENCES. THE PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTRY AND MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HANDLED THEIR WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND THE ADMINISTRATION HAD NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE. LORD CAITHNESS HAD READ THE 'WHITE PAPER' SO TIAN WOULD NOT GO INTO GREATER DETAIL.

5.

LORD CAITHNESS THANKED THE VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER FOR HIS FULL

AND HELPFUL REPLY. HE SAID HE RECOGNISED THE PROGRESS MADE BY CHINA IN FEEDING AND CLOTHING ITS PEOPLE, BUT SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT INCONSISTENT WITH RESPECTING OTHER FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS. THE

BRITISH SIDE WAS HAPPY TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS IN BRITAIN. THERE WAS NOW WORLDWIDE CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. HE HAD READ THE

'WHITE PAPER' BUT WOULD QUESTION WHETHER SOME CRIMES SHOULD ATTRACT

THE PUNISHMENT IN CHINA WHICH THEY DID AND WAS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH SOME PRISONERS WERE BEING DETAINED. THE

'WHITE PAPER' HAD ENDORSED THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS. THE TWO SIDES SHARED COMMON INTERESTS ON THIS. LORD CAITHNESS ASKED WHETHER CHINA WOULD ACCEDE TO THESE COVENANTS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HE THANKED TIAN FOR THE RESPONSE TO THE PRIME MINSITER'S LIST AND ASKED WHETHER THE NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS COULD BE SUPPLIED ACCORDING TO EACH CATEGORY OF TREATMENT. THE PRIME MINISTER TOOK A CLOSE INTEREST IN THIS. HUMAN RIGHTS WOULD CONTINUE TO FORM PART OF

BILATERAL RELATIONS AND IT WAS USEFUL TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THEM IN

A FRANK WAY.

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