§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current state of relations between(a) China and Taiwan and (b) North and South Korea. [134735]
§ Mr. Battle(a) China and Taiwan: We monitor developments in relations across the Taiwan Straits closely. Since the election of Chen Shui bian both sides have shown evidence of restraint in their rhetoric and actions, although they have not yet been able to reach any consensus over the "One China" issue which might enable them to resume direct dialogue. We continue to encourage 534W dialogue between the two sides and we are strongly opposed to the use of force in resolving the question of Taiwan's status.
(b) We have expressed our strong support for the President of South Korea Kim Dae-Jung's policy of engagement aimed at peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea. We are pleased that both sides are committed to implementing the results of June's Summit and we welcome the people-to-people links that have taken place, including family reunions and co-operation between the North and South Korean teams at the opening of the Sydney Olympics. A series of political and military meetings between both sides is under way. Work has also begun on re-establishing a rail link between North and South Korea across the Demilitarised Zone.
The engagement process has been given further impetus by the recent US/North Korea negotiations, notably Ms Albright's visit to Pyongyang. There remain many serious issues, including missile proliferation, nuclear matters and human rights, to be discussed and addressed. But progress since the June summit has been encouraging.