Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 26.11.01

AS PART OF TIBET VIGIL'S ONGOING WEEKLY DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE DOWNING STREET TO SEEK A MORE MEANINGFUL UK POLICY TOWARDS TIBET WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE UK GOVERNMENT'S STATED POSITION CURRENTLY IS ON THE AGREED POLICY.

[From statements in letters or where the comment is from verbal comments from a meeting at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on 26.11.01 'F&CO' is written] [This is circulated to inform you. Obviously it does not mean Tibet Vigil either agrees or disagrees with these statements ]
GENERAL
"We are deeply concerned about the situation in China, including Tibet" -- Jack Straw 24.08.01
THE NUMBERING BELOW REFERS TO THE CLAUSE NUMBERS IN THE AGREED POLICY ,ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER "ROLE OF UK GOV"

1] ON TIBETS NATIONAL STATUS.
"The UK is the only country that does not recognise Chinese sovereignty over Tibet. Equally however we do not recognise Tibet as being independent and neither does any other country although we believe that the Tibetans should have a greater say in running their own affairs"--Ben Bradshaw 17.08.01 "The UK regards Tibet as autonomous whilst recognising the special position of the Chinese authorities there"--Denis Macshane 16.11.01.

2] ON UN RESOLUTIONS
"The United General Assembly passed resolutions on Tibet in 1959,1961,and 1965.The essence of all three resolutions was a call for the human rights of the Tibetan people to be respected. We continue to press the Chinese on this. None of the resolutions questioned the legitimacy of Chinese rule in Tibet. The United Kingdom abstained in 1959 and voted in favour of the 1961 and 1965 resolutions. Prior to the 1961 vote , the UK Representive explained that the UK was voting to register disapproval at the violations of human rights, not because of any change in our view of Tibet's status"--Denis MacShane 16.11.01 [TIBET VIGIL FACTUAL NOTE.The 1961 resolution includes the rights of the Tibetan people to self determination.]

3] ON POSITION OF DALAI LAMA
"We do not recognise the Dalai Lama as head of state of the Tibetan People"--Denis MacShane 16.11.01 "The Dalai Lama is received as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan People" [F&CO]

4] ON NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE DALAI LAMA
"We take every opportunity to press the Chinese to enter a dialogue with the Dalai Lama on a long term political solution in Tibet . I raised the subject in detail with the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister on 30 October"--Denis MacShane 16.11.01

5]ON SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS
"UN Special Rapporteurs are independent: it is not for the British Government to tell them where to go"-- Denis Macshane 16.11.01
[TIBET VIGIL FACTUAL NOTE. Special Rapporteurs are independent, but they receive their mandate to investigate by means of resolutions passed by the 53 member states of the UN Commission Of Human Rights of which the UK is a member]
ON UN REFERENDUM
"We have no plans to urge the UN to call for a referendum in Tibet" --Denis MacShane 16.11.01

6] ON HUMAN RIGHTS "We discuss human rights issues with the Chinese authorities in our regular high level human rights dialogue....We believe that a policy of dialogue is the most effective way to encourage real and sustained improvements in human rights in China...Dialogue does not prevent us from being critical of China's record in public"--Jack Straw 26.08.01 "We intend to continue to pursue the improvement of human rights in China and Tibet through international organisations, to monitor progress and to adjust our policies accordingly"--Ben Bradshaw 7.08.01 "There is no contradiction between pursuing our commercial interests and a vigorous and critical policy on human rights"--Denis Macshane 16.11.01
ON BIRTH CONTROL FUNDING
"Birth quotas in areas where the UN Population Fund is working have been abolished. UK assistance for UN agencies in China is aimed at promoting a better understanding of international standards in reproductive health. The UK does not support the one child policy" --Denis MacShane 16.11.01
NOTE ON CLAUSE 6
On 4.12.01 Tibet Vigil heard from Ms Junko Sazaki the UNFPA Assistant Representative for China that "Yes birth quota in the areas where UNFPA works has been abolished.UNFPA does not work in Tibet.UNFPA does not support forced sterilisation but against. No UK funds channeled through UNFPA has been used for forced sterilisation" However Independent Tibet Network reports [www.truthtibet.com]"Documentary investigations carried out in Communist China and presented to the US Senate on 17th October 2001 featured harrowing evidence of medical atrocities. This included interviews with women who had been forcibly sterilised within half a mile of a UNPFA office which claimed coercion was not happening in that region. "A statement by Dr Harry Wu revealed that the Tianjin Central Women's Hospital which is reported to be funded by the United Nations Childrens Foundation, performs 300 forced abortions and 100-150 sterilisations 'surgeries' a month" Tianjin is just south of Beijing, and is therefore indicative that enforced birth control is continuing in a UNFPA area in China, which is abhorrent.

7] ON HAN CHINESE IMMIGRATION
"We continue to urge the Chines to ensure that demographic changes in Tibet brought about by the economic development in Western China, including Tibet, do not affect the Tibetan population adversely. This includes ensuring that they are the primary beneficiaries of economic growth, including new jobs and the provision of housing, health, and education facilities" --Ben Bradshaw 17.08.01

8] ON TIBETAN REFUGEE STATUS
"We do not recognise Tibet as an independent state and we therefore won't be calling for the UN to give Tibetans refugee status as subjects of a state seperate from China"--Denis MacShane 16.11.01

9] ON SELLING ARMS TO CHINA
"The EU imposed a limited embargo on China in June 1989. The Government considers all applications to export defence equipment to China against our national interpretation of the EU embargo and against the consolidated UK and EU arms export licensing criteria. We do not approve the export of equipment where there is a clear risk that it might be used for international aggression or internal repression" --28 .09.01

10] ON UK DEMONSTRATIONS
"The policing of demonstrations is a matter for the police"--Denis MacShane 16.11.01 "The Government does ensure that the policing of peaceful demonstrations against China's policies in Tibet is neutral and also ensures that diplomatic or economic pressure is not effective. Revealing itineraries 48 hours before is standard for visitors of the level of Hu Jintao" [F&CO]

11] ON APARTHEID REGIME
See Ben Bradshaw's comment on Clause 7 above "I should like to reassure you that the Department For International Development's wider programme of development co-operation with China is not having an adverse impact on the indigenous people of Tibet.....DFID is committed ...to recognising the importance of the basic right of all individuals to equitable access to health and education." --Margaret Vowles,Head Of East Asia and Pacific Department ,DFID [DFID sponsors Ł25million plus of poverty reduction projects in China mainly in the West . These are education and health projects . In the area known by China as Tibet their only involvement is limited to Save The Children projects]

12] ON LAOGAI IMPORTS
"We raise prison conditions in China in the UK-China human rights dialogue .We have encouraged the Chinese authorities to permit prison visits by the International committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] I should however point out that the International Labour Organisation [ILO] convention on forced labour allows prisoners to work as long as they have been convicted by a court and are supervised by a public body not a private company" --Denis MacShane 28.09.01 "It is impossible to tell which imports come from the camps and which ones don't" [F&CO]

13] ON RELIGIOUS RIGHTS
"All these points are made in talks with the Chinese"[F&CO] "We raised a wide range of issues including individual cases such as that of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima ,the Dalai Lama's choice as panchen Lama. We also urged China to release a number of Tibetan dissidents" --Jack Straw 24.08.01

ADDITIONALLY TO THE AGREED POLICY TIBET VIGIL RAISED THE QUESTION OF UK INVESTMENT IN TIBET.
"BP's investment in China. This is a matter for BP not the government. However we are concerned about poverty in Tibet and Western China. We believe that investment, handled properly and with due care for local conditions and traditional practices will help improve the living standards of ordinary Tibetans and Chinese"--Denis MacShane 28.09.01

"The Government encourages UK companies investing in developing countries to do so in a manner that ensures the maximum possible positive social and environmental impact. we believe that companies have a responsibility towards all stakeholders in their activities including employees, customers and the local community, as well as shareholders and local and national governments. The government expects companies to comply with the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises which cover human rights, labour standards, and environmental safeguards."--Jack Straw 24.08.01