§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Hong Kong and Beijing. [8570]
§ Mr. Hanley[pursuant to his reply, 15 January 1996, column 410]: I regret that the last paragraphs of my answer of 15 January were inadvertently omitted. The full answer is as follows
My right hon. and learned Friend, the Foreign Secretary, visited Hong Kong and China from 6 to 11 January.
In Hong Kong he met the governor, members of the Legislative and Executive Councils, senior Hong Kong Government and British officials and business and community figures. This gave him an invaluable opportunity to hear at first hand the views and concerns of the people of Hong Kong about their future.
My right hon. and learned Friend was warmly received in Peking and held frank and constructive discussions with President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng, Vice Premier Qian Qichen, and the Director of the State Council Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Lu Ping. My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary's discussions gave him an opportunity to describe to Chinese leaders the mood in Hong Kong and to discuss with them ways of maintaining confidence there. We made substantial progress on several specific issues. The Chinese assured my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary of their commitment to a successful transition and to the preservation of a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong after 30 June 1997.
We also agreed to develop further our bilateral links in all areas: political, economic and commercial. As part of this dialogue my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary registered our concerns over reports of human rights abuses and urged china to address these issues quickly and openly.