TNAG-2355-FCO40-3426-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1991 — Page 33

PQ ON SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO CHINA AND HONG KONG

To ask the Secretary of State if he will make a statement

on his visit to China and Hong Kong

DRAFT WRITTEN REPLY

I paid an official visit to China from 3-8 April at the

invitation of the Chinese Foreign Minister, and visited

Hong Kong for a day at each end of that visit. This was the

first visit by a Foreign Secretary to China since 1986.

In Peking I had two full sessions of talks with the

Foreign Minister and met the Party General Secretary, the Premier, the Chairman of the National People's Congress and

the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.

With the Foreign Minister I covered major international issues of common concern, including the Middle East, arms

proliferation, and Cambodia. We also discussed a number of

bilateral matters, including commercial relations. I raised

our concerns about human rights, including in Tibet, both

with the Foreign Minister and with the General Secretary.

I

A central element in my discussions was Hong Kong. told the Chinese that we wanted to intensify work on the

practical issues which need to be resolved in order to

ensure a smooth transition in 1997. In achieving this we

need to respect the two key principles underlying the Joint

Declaration. On the one hand, Britain, China and Hong Kong

need to cooperate. On the other, the Hong Kong Government needs to be able to fulfil its duty to govern effectively. Seeking the views of China on important matters which

straddle 1997 and paying close attention to those views

where possible is compatible with those principles, but the

task of taking decisions rests with the Hong Kong

Government.

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