§ Mr. BETTERTONasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state the result of the recent meeting of the China Bank Consortium in London: whether its policy is in any way affected; and whether during the la months of its existence any application for its aid has been made by the Chinese Government?
Mr. HARMSWORTHI understand that the consortium propose to publish a report on the recent meeting in London which will, no doubt, give the hon. Member the information he requires regarding their policy. As regards the last part of the question, the Chinese Government approached the consortium in January last for a loan, but the negotiations proved abortive.