TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 45

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT

14-JUL-1993 16:33

JAMES LEE

TRANSCRIPT B

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MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD

GOODL COMMITTEE 14 JULY 1993

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think that we have a contribution to make. We maintain contact

with other embassies, journalists, people who keep their ear to the ground, we exchange opinions. In other words, we do our best

but I would say that there are limits to the extent to which we can predict what is likely to happen and we are in indeed at the

moment a particularly interesting period and I don't think I could offer you a very confident prediction of exactly where we shall be

in a year's time.

CHAIRMAN:

That was a very valiant answer to a friendly but impossible

question.

Could we just ask a question about Beijing's or rather the PRC's

foreign policy objectives? We sense that Hong Kong comes rather

low down the level of priorities if one is sitting in Beijing and

looking out on the world. How, Minister, do you see China's

priorities in this field?

MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD:

I think that the reunification of China as they see it, the

reunification of Hong Kong into China and the reunification of

Taiwan subsequently into China are very important to them and that

has been quite high on their agenda and will remain quite high on

their agenda until they achieve reunification I should have of

course mentioned Macao as well.

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