Published by: World Tibet Network News Thursday, November 6, 1997

by Campbell Clark, The Montreal Gazette

BEIJING, November 6, 1997 (Montreal Gazette) - Premier Lucien Bouchard offered no public sympathy for the Tibetan independence movement yesterday as he commented on his meetings with Chinese government leaders. He refused to comment on Tibet, saying it is the federal government that handles foreign affairs and he will wait until Quebec is sovereign before discussing such questions abroad.

Bouchard denied Radio-Canada reports that the Chinese government had asked him not to discuss his government's own sovereignty movement because some here might draw parrallels to Tibet.

Bouchard has steadfastly refused to discuss human rights publicly as he led a delegation of more than 180 business people to China, despite daily questions from reporters in the first three days of the trade mission.

Before he left for China, Bouchard had said he would bring up the issue privately with Chinese leaders if the opportunity came up, but would not relate the content of those discussion until he returned to Quebec. And he stuck to that line after he met Chinese Vice-Premier Jiang Chunyun, the highest-ranking Chinese official he is slated to meet on his visit here.

"This is a sovereign country. I'm here to do business, and that's my goal. I'm not concerned with those political questions of China," he said.

Bouchard said he had his hands full with Quebec's own political situation, and that Quebec is part of Canada because of the will of the people in the last referendum, suggesting that because Quebec is not independent, he should not take discuss such foreign affairs while abroad.

"As of now, Quebec is in Canada, and I'm travelling as a Canadian citizen, and I'm working with the Canadian embassy. We're paying a quarter of the salaries of those very competent civil servants.

"When the time comes, Quebec will be quite able to handle those kinds of situations."

Canadian flags have been at the centre at every public event since Monday, in keeping with international protocol, and the Canadian ambassdor to China, Howard Balloch, has flanked Bouchard at most official events.

Bouchard said he had been given no explanation for why China has opened no consulate in Quebec, though China is scheduled to open a consulate in Calgary soon.

He said he had, however, tell Chunyun that he would like to see China open a consulate in Montreal.