HC Deb 27 July 1953 vol 518 cc874-5
25. Mr. Donnelly

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the nature of the discussions which took place between the representative of Her Majesty's Government and the United States Secretary of State during the Washington talks on the policy to be adopted towards Chinese representation in the United Nations.

Mr. Selwyn Lloyd

No, Sir. There is nothing I can add to the answers given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Aston (Mr. Wyatt) on 16th July.

Mr. Donnelly

Can the right hon. and learned Gentleman give an assurance that the policy of Her Majesty's Government remains the recognition of and the exchange of ambassadors with the Peking Government, and that the fact that the Marquess of Salisbury is on record as being opposed to Chinese recognition does not in any way affect Her Majesty's Government's policy on that matter at the moment?

Mr. Lloyd

The position of Her Majesty's Government is exactly as was explained during the foreign affairs debate. We recognise the People's Government of China and we propose to continue to recognise it. So far as its recognition by others is concerned, that is a matter which will have to be dealt with in the course of or after the political conference.

Sir H. Williams

Have the Chinese Government of Peking yet recognised us?

Mr. Lloyd

The actions they have taken are of a somewhat equivocal nature.

Mr. Beswick

The right hon. and learned Gentleman has said that recognition of the People's Government of China is a matter which will come up in the course of or after the political conference. Is he now going back on the Washington Conference, which made it clear that the three Ministers there would not discuss this matter until there had been a satisfactory completion of the political conference?

Mr. Lloyd

The position so far as the political conference is concerned is that Koreas is quite definitely the first item on the agenda of that conference. If that is successfully concluded, we hope that the conference will broaden out and deal with wider issues.