§ 5. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Her Majesty's Government's relations with the Chinese People's Republic.
§ 14. Mr. Laneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he now proposes to alter the level of diplomatic representation in Peking.
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeOur relations with China have shown a recent improvement which we welcome and we are anxious to make further progress. Discussions about an exchange of ambassadors, which have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the People's Republic of China, were resumed early this year and are continuing.
§ Mr. AllaunMay I now repeat to the Foreign Secretary the questions which I put to him on 26th April, which he then said he would consider? First, will he arrange a Ministerial visit to China? Second, could we now reach some agreement about the appointment of an ambassador? Third, shall we take the initiative at the United Nations for the admission of China by a simple majority this autumn?
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeI should very much like to visit China at some time, if that were convenient to the Chinese and to ourselves here. As regards the resolutions at the United Nations which are likely to be moved, I very much doubt that an important Question resolution will be moved this year; I think that we shall be faced with another resolution of a different kind, as yet unframed. As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have consistently voted for the Albanian resolution to seat Communist China, and I 1069 should add that there is only one seat for one country in the organisation.
§ Mr. LaneWhat my right hon. Friend has said this afternoon will be widely welcomed. Can he confirm that between now and the autumn Her Majesty's Government will be ready to take any further initiatives which may open up as the situation develops outside or inside the United Nations?
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeYes, Sir; we shall study with great care what form resolutions may take at the United Nations. I have stated the guide lines on which we shall work.
§ Mr. HealeyApart from the question whether China's representation is considered an important matter—I welcome the hint given by the Foreign Secretary on that—I understand that there is one other major obstacle to the restoration to full diplomatic relations with China; namely, Her Majesty's Government's maintenance of a consulate on Taiwan. Is a change in this position contemplated?
§ Sir Alec Douglas-HomeAs the right hon. Gentleman knows, the consulate is not accredited to the Government of Taiwan. At the moment I would rather not add to what I said just now.