§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the number of Chinese settling in the Tibetan autonomous region and in the Tibetan autonomous areas in Qinghai, Sichnan, Gansa and Yunnan provinces, and the practice of the Chinese authorities to encourage Chinese immigration into these same areas, by freely granting licences to trade.
§ Mr. GoodladThere have been numerous reports about the number of Chinese settling in Tibet. However, there is little or no reliable independent confirmation that a policy exists. According to the most recent Chinese census in 1990, over 95 per cent. of the population of the Tibet autonomous region is Tibetan while 3.7 per cent. is Han Chinese. The Chinese authorities have announced their intention of creating a special economic and technological zone in Lhasa aimed at attracting investment from other provinces, and from foreign countries.