§ 3. Mr. F. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many communications he has addressed to the 1289 Chinese Peoples' Government since 1st January, 1952; and to which of these he has received replies.
§ Mr. NuttingBetween 1st January and 27th June, 1952, Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking addressed 134 communications to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of these, 18 called for no answer; one was officially answered in writing; and 66 were not answered in writing, but elicited the appropriate action. The remainder were neither answered nor apparently effective.
§ Mr. MacleanDoes my hon. Friend consider that this score is satisfactory?
§ Mr. NuttingWe certainly consider that we should maintain a representative in Peking, for the time being at any rate, because we consider that he can perform a useful function in assisting to maintain the morale of the British colony in China.