HC Deb 01 May 1961 vol 639 cc898-9
36 and 38. Mr. Marsh

asked the Lord Privy Seal (1) What progress he has made towards agreement on seating the Peking Government in the United Nations;

(2) in view of recent statements by the Chinese Foreign Minister, if he will state the current policy of Her Majesty's Government concerning the representation of Formosa in the United Nations.

Mr. Heath

The views of Her Majesty's Government on the general question of Formosa were given by my hon. Friend in the House on 12th December last. As regards the general question of Chinese representation, I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18th April to the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. C. Osborne).

Mr. Marsh

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that many people in this country are fast coming to the conclusion that Her Majesty's Government ought to have a policy in this matter and that, having decided on a policy, they should pursue it actively? Does he not agree that if the British Government were to press for the admission of the Peking Government to the United Nations it would have a far more beneficial effect upon Asian opinion than the recent pachydermatous activities of the Foreign Secretary in India?

Mr. Heath

I shall ignore the remarks made by the hon. Gentleman at the end of his sentence. The position of the British Government as regards the Chinese seat in the United Nations has been broadly stated on a number of occasions in the House. It is not, in our view, appropriate that on a matter which will be discussed again in the autumn I shall make a further detailed statement at this stage.

Mr. Marsh

We are not asking the right hon. Gentleman to make a detailed statement at this stage. Five months ago the British Government said that they believed that the admission of the Chinese Government would be to the advantage of world peace. So far they have done nothing about it. We are merely asking when they are going to do something about it.

Mr. Heath

The hon. Gentleman has absolutely no justification for saying that Her Majesty's Government have done nothing about it.

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