TNAG-2710-FCO40-3916-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 168

Mr Hum

RESTRICTED

M

Thehutts

a

2914

Mr Bunker Mis Son, ox

HKB 011

011/6

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

30 APR 1993

Pa kels with Parl

стоо

From:

H L1 Davies

Far Eastern Department

Date:

23 April 1993

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

Cc:

INDEX

PA Action Taken

Mr Morris, HKD Dr Bristow-Smith

PARLIAMENTARY CONTACTS WITH CHINA

1.

from the

Earlier this

floated week I saw a reference to ideas

by

Sir Michael Marshall that it might be helpful to have some sort of contact between Parliamentarians of the UK and of China to help move forward the Hong Kong problem. You quite rightly recommended against this very unfocussed idea. I pointed out in a manuscript minute that Sir M Marshall had tried the same idea some two years

This had

invitation ago.

eventually ended up in an British Group of the IPU to Wan Li, then Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. This visit was

Ι subsequently

over by the FCO as a Category

visit and

formal invitations were elicited from and issued by the

and the Lord Chancellor. The visit was aborted at the last

minute, allegedly

Li.

taken

Speaker

health on

grounds

learnt subsequently domestic differences of view about the way such a visit should be handled which ultimately frustated Wan Li and led to his

it off in pique.)

affecting Wan

were on other channels that there

(We

internal

calling

2.

the

from

There remains nctionally on the table the invitation Speaker and Lord Chancellor to the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC. It is perhaps for consideration whether we might not encourage Sir M Marshall to channel his enthusiasms for

UK/China Parliamentary

into resurrecting the

invitation. There is now a new incumbent in that position in the

NPC, namely Qiao Shi.

some

contact

RESTRICTED