TNAG-2717-FCO40-3923-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 31

Chairman.

Chairman:

But

nevertheless, you have

alternative view in a way that is in the tradition of the put the

Committee, that we do need to hear all sides of an argument in reaching our Own conclusions. For that we are extremely grateful.

If we could now go straight on and ask our two distinguished next witnesses to move forward, that would be for the benefit of everybody.

!

Evidence given by

Sir Alan Donald and Sir Richard Evans

Chairman: Sir Alan Donald and Sir Richard Evans, we would like to thank you both for coming to the Committee this morning and sharing your thoughts with us. Between you, you have been this nation's representatives in Peking to the People's Republic of China from 1984 to 1991, spanning a crucial period both in the history of Hong Kong and indeed in the history of China. So we feel you are uniquely equipped to give us benefit of your wisdom on what is going on or is likely to go on. the

We would rather like to go on straight from our question, to Sir Percy which I think you heard, when we were on last

the questions of UK/China relationships and perhaps come back later to the Hong Kong matters on which Sir Percy put such strong and controversial views. That is the way we will start if we may.

Would either of you like to make an opening comment on the Chinese scene? If not,

we have many questions to ask you on China and we could go straight in.

Answer: Perhaps I could speak for a few minutes, Chairman. The starting point in thinking about the relationship which might exist and which we might desire with China in the next century, shall we say the first decade of the next century, must be to ask what kind of China will by then exist. give my view in

I will a few lapidary sentences, all of which challengeable.

are

First of all, that China will be economically powerful with

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