China said Thursday that it was “positively considering” signing two covenants on human rights that would oblige Beijing to report in detail on the protection of civil and religious liberties on the mainland and in Hong Kong after it reverts to Chinese sovereignty on July 1.

In the first such statement by a Chinese government spokesman, Tang Guoqiang told reporters Thursday, “We are positively considering the two United Nations covenants on human rights.” He added that “Chinese experts are studying the covenants” and that China would decide the date of signing “as a sovereign matter.”

The resolution is being prepared for the annual meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva. But Thursday’s statement was taken as another sign by U.S. and European officials that Communist leaders are considering making a broader deal to release additional political prisoners and reopen discussions with the International Committee of the Red Cross on a program of prison visits by Red Cross officials.