HC Deb 08 February 1951 vol 483 cc1939-42
Mr. Fitzroy Maclean

(by Private Notice) asked the Foreign Secretary whether he will state the terms of the protest addressed by him to the Chinese Communist Government over the ill-treatment and expulsion of His Majesty's Consul-General at Tihwa; and what reply he has received.

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Ernest Davies)

His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires was instructed on 3rd February to make strong representations to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I am now awaiting a report on the action which he has taken and, pending receipt of this, I am not in a position to add to the detailed statement circulated yesterday.

Mr. Maclean

Will the hon. Gentleman say what the terms of the protest were, and give some indication of what action he is taking in this very serious matter?

Mr. Davies

Our representative in Peking was instructed to make a strong protest; and the actual wording of the protest was left to his discretion.

Mr. Maclean

Can the hon. Gentleman say why the Government found it necessary to withhold from the public information about this disgraceful affair for over a month, and why he himself, at Question Time yesterday, chose to relegate his reply to the obscurity of the OFFICIAL REPORT instead of taking the opportunity of making a public statement on the matter?

Mr. Davies

The answer to the first part of that supplementary question is that we awaited the arrival of Mr. Holmes in this country to obtain corroboration of the information we had received from Hong Kong. The answer to the second part of the question is that I thought it was better that we should give a full detailed statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT rather than give an abbreviated version and take up the time of the House.

Mr. Eden

I think there will be no dispute anywhere about the seriousness of this information now that it is fully available. Is it a fact that our Consul-General was not allowed, when in China, to communicate with any other of His Majesty's diplomatic representatives in that country?

Mr. Davies

It would not be quite accurate to suggest that he was unable to communicate with any of the other representatives, because there are ways and means by which that is achieved, but it is true that he had no normal diplomatic means of communicating with other representatives of His Majesty's Government.

Mr. Eden

Would the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that there can be very few cases in diplomatic history where a Consul-General has not been allowed even to communicate with one of his colleagues when he has been subjected to treatment like this?

Mr. Davies

I fully endorse the statement made by the right hon. Gentleman. and I can assure him that that is one of the reasons why we are insisting that a very strong protest should be made.

Brigadier Head

Does not the Under-Secretary consider that the very rough way in which this man was treated was partly Communist propaganda to show their scorn of Britain, and that unless a really strong protest goes forward we shall appear to condone that action?

Mr. Davies

It is not for us to assess the reasons for the action taken or the motives which inspired it without further inquiry and an effort to ascertain the facts. Perhaps, in reply to our protest, we shall be able better to assess the situation. Certainly, a very strong protest is being made, and I do not think I can say more.

Mt. Julian Amery

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Government's failure to give publicity to the closing of the Consulate at Tihwa has created a widespread impression that they are trying to hush up this deplorable incident because it exposes the utter failure of their efforts to appease the Chinese Communist Government?

Mr. Davies

I feel I must protest against the suggestion that we have been trying to hush up anything. There has been no attempt whatever to hide it. Full details were published in the OFFICIAL REPORT and were available to the Press immediately afterwards. Full publicity has now been given to this situation.

Mr. S. Silverman

Would my hon. Friend bear in mind that he will have the fullest support from this side of the House for any proper protest the Government may make against any misbehaviour and also for any attempt he may make to prevent the Opposition from fanning this incident up out of all proportion?

Mr. Maclean

Can the Under-Secretary say what has happened to the public and private property which was confiscated on this occasion, and who is now in charge of His Majesty's Consulate-General at Tihwa?

Mr. Davies

We no longer have any representative at Tihwa; as to the property, that has been confiscated.