TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 60

14-JUL-1993 16:39

JAMES LEE

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COMMITTEE

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MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD

14 JULY 1993.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT

27

How far have our negotiations with China over Hong Kong helped us?

Have they have been positive in helping us to influence human

rights in China or are they perhaps having the opposite effect?

Are they perhaps alienating the Chinese and making them rather

more hidebound and stiffen up their opposition to political

liberalisation?

MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD:

I think myself that the negotiations on Hong Kong will not have

had an adverse effect on the cause of human rights in China. It

is a part of a dialogue we conduct and I can't believe that it

would have an adverse effect.

Within the Hong Kong, the Joint Declaration which I reiterate is

an international treaty registered at the United Nations, lays

down a series of guarantees for human rights in Hong Kong after 1997, rights of freedom including those of the person, of speech,

of the press, of assembly, of association and religious beliefs to

be protected by law; the Bill of Rights has been passed in Hong

Kong. I think there are grounds for good confidence that human

rights in Hong Kong will be well protected after 1997 and as I

say, I hope that the position in China will improve more rapidly

as a result of the process of persuasion that is brought to bear

not only by ourselves but by other members of the international

community.

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