Rifkind hints at tough stance with Peking

China troubles: Foreign Secretary pledges to tackle sensitive issues in Hong Kong talks and to raise question of human rights

STEPHEN VINES

Hong Kong

Malcolm Rifkind is taking an unexpectedly firm line on political and human rights issues as he starts his visit to China today. He is also going out of his way to lend support to Chris Patten, the Governor of Hong Kong, whom Peking has been trying to keep out of all negotiations over the colony's future.

The Foreign Secretary's visit to Peking has been upgraded to include sessions with both the Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the Prime Minister Li Peng, even though the Chinese embassy in London had warned that the Channel 4 documentary on the abuse of children in Chinese orphanages would cast a shadow over the trip.

Mr Rifkind dismissed this idea yesterday. "I don't think it is relevant to the purpose of my visit," he said. However, he said he would be raising human rights, including making inquiries about the treatment of orphans in government care.

The talks are primarily aimed at clearing the backlog of unresolved issues concerning the transfer of power in Hong Kong. However, Mr Rifkind was careful to play down his chances. "I don't want to engage in mindless optimism," he said. The Foreign Secretary stressed that he would discuss sensitive subjects whether or not they were raised by his hosts. In particular, he intends to criticise China's decision to disband the colony's legislature, a step taken in retaliation for Mr Patten's scheme to widen the scope of Legislative Council elections.

When Mr Rifkind last met his Chinese counterpart, Qian Qichen, in London last October, his failure to respond to Mr Qian's remarks about the need to disband the council came in for considerable comment in Hong Kong. Mr Rifkind told councillors yesterday that he regretted the "ambiguity" at the London meeting. Britain was firmly opposed to all plans for throwing out elected legislators.

As if this will not be enough to ensure disquiet in Peking, the Foreign Secretary went out of his way to stress support for Mr Patten. He told a businessman's lunch that he had "great admiration for the courage and clarity of vision" which the Governor had showed.

Asked whether he was embarrassed to be presiding over the transfer of sovereignty when a recent opinion poll had shown that 74 per cent of the people were worried by it, he said he could fully understand why Hong Kong people were uneasy about the transfer to Chinese rule. "In a sense I'm surprised that it's only 74 per cent not 100 per cent," Mr Rifkind said.

Mr Rifkind said without qualification that Britain had a "very special obligation, much more than any other country in the world", to those who may face political persecution following China's takeover.

At the meeting with legislators, Mr Rifkind faced some vigorous questioning about nationality issues. Askedwhether he had a conscience about handing over "frightened people" to China without giving the colony's 3.5 million British passport holders the right of citizenship, Mr Rifkind said that there was no intention of amending the rules to admit people from Hong Kong.