Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 10 December 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2008. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 12 January 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Tibet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has persuaded the Chinese government to take in respect of Tibet since his announcement on the change of position on the status of Tibet.

Answer: I issued a public statement on 24 November following the conclusion of the Tibetan exiles' meeting in Dharamsala, in which I again urged the Chinese government to engage in substantive discussion with the Dalai Lama's representatives, on the proposals put forward by the Tibetan side.In addition, both I and Simon McDonald, the Prime Minister's Foreign Policy adviser met with Zhu Weiqun the Assistant Minister from the United Front Work Department on 14 November. We made clear the Government's wish for the Chinese government to address the human rights situation in Tibet, through a meaningful system of autonomy.

Secondary information