HL Deb 06 March 1973 vol 339 cc990-2
LORD SEGAL

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps have been taken to develop cultural relations with the People's Republic of China since the exchange of Ambassadors with Peking; and what further intentions they have in mind on this subject.

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, the Great Britain/China Committee was established last year to promote personal and professional exchanges with China in the cultural-scientific field. Exchanges in science, sport and culture will continue and a senior British Council officer will visit Peking in April.

LORD SEGAL

My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Marquess for that reply. Would he not agree that this is hardly enough in dealing with one-fourth of the world's total population? Could not the development of cultural relations, especially in the fields of science and medicine, be given a far higher priority and a much greater sense of urgency than appears to be the case at the present time?

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, I entirely agree with the noble Lord that we want to step up the whole range of cultural exchanges with China, but considering that we have been in a position to do so for only the past 12 months or so, things have been moving very fast. After all, the London Philharmonic Orchestra is going out to China this month, and an exhibition is being mounted over here in September—cultural pleasures which ought to be extremely interesting and effective. And of course, on the scientific and medical side, the noble Lord may well be aware that Sir George Godber, Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, is going to pay a visit to China in the next month. So I do not think there can be any doubt that things are moving.

LORD DAVIES OF LEEK

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that probably all of us in this House and elsewhere in Britain were glad when in March, 1972, we recognised full diplomatic status when our excellent Ambassador there, John Addis, signed with Chiao Kuan Hua, the Chinese deputy Foreign Secretary, the note of understanding? In consequence of China's being in the main stream of life, as historically she always has been, does not the noble Marquess think that it might be an excellent exercise for the Minister of Education to encourage an exchange of schoolchildren? We can eradicate the propaganda from both sides. Would not a committee to study this problem of schoolchildren exchanges be valuable?—for the future is theirs, whatever nationality they may bear.

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, I think that is a most interesting suggestion, and I will certainly pass it on to my right honourable friend.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, having had the opportunity of visiting China and seeing many of the health services there, may I ask the noble Marquess whether he would have it in his mind as a possibility to see whether delegations of Chinese doctors might be invited to this country? I believe the noble Marquess and his colleagues would be very much surprised to know how many of these doctors qualified here in the early 1920s and are still alive.

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, it would certainly be interesting to do as the noble Baroness suggests, and I will bring the suggestion to the attention of my noble friend, who is sitting beside me. I believe he will be able to confirm that we are proposing to send over specialists from this country to China.

LORD O'NEILL OF THE MAINE

My Lords, may I ask whether the Minister is aware that as long as the Chinese go on paying for their purchases of British aircraft in cash, cultural interests will improve at a very rapid rate?

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, I am obliged to my noble friend.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I hope they will not be the Harrier.

LORD SEGAL

My Lords, may I ask the noble Marquess whether, in addition to the arrangements being made through the British Council further arrangements could not be made direct with some of our British universities to invite scholars and research workers to come to this country, which would be to our mutual advantage?

THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIAN

My Lords, this probably could be arranged and I will undertake to make representations in this regard.