§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to encourage further strengthening of professional exchanges between the UK and China. [110404]
§ Mr. BattleWe attach importance to strengthening professional exchanges with China. The British Council has given particular support to this work, notably in the836W educational, legal and construction sectors, through collaboration projects, seminars and other training schemes, with the assistance of professional institutions.
We also support the UK/China Forum, a high-level non-governmental body, the first meeting of which was held in October 1999, and whose work in the fields of industry, finance, environment, science and technology, law, education, culture and the media, should also strengthen professional exchanges in these areas.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase co-operation with China within the framework of the UN for the promotion of international peace and security. [110405]
§ Mr. BattleAs Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, we and China maintain an ongoing dialogue on a range of international peace and security issues. Chinese peacekeepers also serve with British peacekeepers in a number of countries.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Voluntary Service Overseas in strengthening links between young people from Britain and China. [110406]
§ Mr. BattleVoluntary Service Overseas' mission is to post skilled volunteers to work in organisations with the aims of skills exchange, institutional development and poverty reduction, as well as to provide educational opportunities for the volunteers. The commitment each VSO volunteer makes to working in China for a minimum period of two years undoubtedly helps to strengthen links between young (and not so young) people in Britain and China. DFID provides grant-in-aid to VSO, and is responsible for carrying out evaluations of its effectiveness.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to promote the development of exchanges between police forces in China and the UK in the field of protecting the victims of crime. [110910]
§ Mr. BattleWe encourage increased links with the Chinese police. UK police forces and their Chinese equivalents have co-operated successfully on a number of cases. The UK has provided training for senior Chinese police officers; the Chinese have indicated that such training is highly valued. Further exchanges are planned both with the police and the National Narcotics Control Commission. We believe that these exchanges will expose the Chinese to best practice and further develop respect for civil rights and the rule of law in China.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the steps being taken by the Government to encourage China to continue its process of economic reform. [110908]
§ Mr. BattleWe support China's process of economic reform and we believe that China's membership of the WTO will prove a powerful stimulus to China's continuing economic reform. We also believe that the presence of British companies in China—there are now over 2,500 British-invested Joint Ventures—encourages China to continue the process of economic reform.
837WThe Department for International Development is supporting the process of reform of State-Owned Enterprises through a £19 million programme to develop models for enterprise restructuring and development. They are also in discussions with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank about co-operation in assistance with fiscal reforms.
We also support the training of Chinese lawyers and judges, and believe that progress towards a proper rule of law will help China's economic reforms. We also assist in the training of Chinese financial regulators through a course funded by British Trade International, and the Treasury hold a regular financial dialogue with their Chinese counterparts. We believe all these programmes have a positive effect on China's economic and financial reforms.