TNAG-2469-FCO40-3593-Most-favoured-nation-status-for-China-Hong-Kong-interests-1992 — Page 109

11/23/52

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rights question, given the fact that the Chinese Government is conducting a vituperative or at least vehement campaign day in and day out against very minor democratic reforms by any Western standards, very minor indeed by Hong Kong standards, very minor reforms, the fact that they are in total opposition to these minor changes which the Hong Kong Government belatedly wants to make in Hong Kong--

Senator Schacht:

Very belatedly.

Question: --Very belatedly. What does this tell you as someone who is concerned about the Chinese attitude for human rights? What do they tell you about that attitude?

Senator Schacht:

It tells me that the Chinese are

If you

concerned that they don't want to allow any small crevice to appear in their position that they believe that the supremacy and vanguard role of the Communist Party of China in the governing of that country can be affected. accept and that means total opposition to multi-party democracy if you allow Hong Kong to develop any form, however modest, of a multi-party democracy prior to 1997 then you inherit it, you run into a very difficult situation trying to abolish it after 1997.

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My view is that their extreme language, even from so-called economic reformers and even from Zhu Rongji in London recently, indicates the political sensitivity about it. My personal view is I think that these very, very belated reforms should continue and I would think you would find there are many Chinese people would hope the example of Hong Kong by 1997, having some modest and it would still be modest democratic form of government or election to an assembly, would be an example many of them would be pleased to have inside a reunited Hong Kong and China. But to the Chinese Communist Party, ideologically, it is absolutely an anathema because it is the very small beginning that could open and destroy their whole facade of opposing multi-party democracy. Because once they give in on that argument, like in the Soviet Union, the whole charade of the one party state, just falls in a heap very, very quickly.

Question:

So they don't believe in one country, two systems? That's your basic premise?

Senator Schacht: Well, that's my assessment of it. It's when you talk ideologically with the Chinese communists, on two occasions now, it seems to me that they understand that multi-party democracy is on the increase in the world, that this is the way the world is going, this is the way a lot of people want the world to go in their own countries. And if they start making any minor concessions in Hong Kong, it flows very rapidly elsewhere. And so that's why I think they are so strong in condemning these very modest changes.