TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 49

14-JUL-1993 16:35

JAMES LEE

0494536249

P.17

TRANSCRIPT B

A

MR.

ALASTAIR GOODLAD

-

FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT

COMMITTEE

-

14 JULY 1993

-

16

MR. ROBERT WAREING:

How far, though, might they not get involved in some sort of

imperial ambition if there is unrest for whatever reason, economic

or political, in China? I am politically concerned about the

break up of the former Soviet Union and many of the ethnic minorities in the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet

Union have their counterparts in the western part of China. I

don't know much about China perhaps I know a little about the

Soviet Union but it does seem to me that there is a possibility there for conflict in the future and I wonder how far our

discussions with the Russian Federation have taken into account Russia's relationship with China as a potential for some political problem arising in the future, maybe even a military problem in

the future?

-

←

MR.

ALASTAIR GOODLAD:

Perhaps I could start by saying that if there is domestic unrest of any sort that of course would be an internal problem and not an international military problem.

Their relationship with Russia does not at the moment I think have any signs of a military component other than the fact that they have been buying quite a lot of modern armaments from the former Soviet Union but I don't know whether Sir Robin would like to add

to that. They have established relations with the states of the former Soviet Union on their borders partly so as to minimise the threat of unrest on the borders and over the borders.