Hong Kong

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 2:43 pm on 26 April 2004.

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Photo of Lord Howell of Guildford Lord Howell of Guildford Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) 2:43, 26 April 2004

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. Would she agree that the role of the National People's Congress in the political development of Hong Kong is quite complex and open to ambiguous interpretation? Is it the Government's view that the National People's Congress, in particular regarding its latest decision which, as she mentioned, was taken today, has actually altered the Basic Law? If, as I understand, we are a guarantor of the integrity of the Basic Law, what further measures other than dialogue and discussion could we take to bring some pressure to bear on the situation and resolve it in a sensible way for all sides?

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