---

East Asia

Yes. An example is the extractive industries transparency initiative. The Chinese are already showing signs of being able to engage on that, which is very important. It should be remembered that minerals and oil are one of the main reasons why China has trade agreements in Africa. Those are some of the most difficult areas in African trade arrangements. Therefore, that initiative internationally is very important. The fact that China is now prepared at least to engage on it and would be interested in co-operating on it is important. Another example is the infrastructure consortium for Africa. Again, that was set up to provide greater transparency on infrastructure plans and co-ordination with donors. China sent a delegation, for the first time, to the last meeting in Berlin, which was only a few days ago. That is a sign of the growing need and interest. With a step-by-step approach, we will ensure such engagement. The FCO and DFID are working together on the Africa conflict prevention pool, security sector reform, peacekeeping training, post-conflict reconstruction and the African peace and security architecture. Those are all working areas that we have with the Chinese at the moment, and we want to bring them to very good conclusions for the sake of Africa’s future. On human rights, I will write to the Committee after the human rights dialogue this coming week, but not only about that dialogue; I need to give the Committee a complete, comprehensive note on all the human rights discussions that I have been having in the different parts of the region that we are discussing. It is important to give this commitment: I do not do any visit where human rights are not a major part of the visit, by common agreement in the discussions and debates, even where that is very difficult. Human rights are not a subject that many countries like to discuss. To be honest, we have to find a way with each individual country to bring it to that discussion. How human rights are discussed with Pakistan is somewhat different from how they are discussed with China or South Korea. Cultural as well as political issues are involved, but I have, and will continue to have, a clear strategic approach not only to discussing human rights during a visit, but to the follow-up work. That is why I hope that the Committee sticks by the commitment that we have made to continue the dialogue with China. Difficult as the issue is, human rights requires a long-term dialogue. To give up that dialogue would be not only to give up on the Chinese people, but to make things easier for those who do not want the dialogue in the first place.