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at the other Chinese people including our compatriots
in Hong Kong and Macao and overseas Chinese in making
urther contributions to the cause of reunifying China".
The second development was the agreement between China and
Portugal announced on 8 February to establish diplomatic
relations with immediate effect. Although in Chinese eyes,
Macao is a Chinese territory with a Portuguese administration,
this occasion was not used to challenge the status of Macao and no reference was made to Macao in the joint communique on
the agreement.
53. In Februsy the liinister of Foreign Trade, li Qiang, extended an invitation addressed to the "Governor of Hong Kong" to visit Peking in the spring of 1979 and thanked him for the
hospitality extended during his own visit in December. The
invitation was accepted on 5 arch and for the first time since
1949 a Governor of Hong Kong was able to ray an official visit
to China. The twelve-day visit ended on 4 April and was an
undoubted success. Sir Murray Maclehose was accorded a high-
level and friendly reception by his Chinese hosts and his meetings
with various Chinese Ministers included one with Vice-Premier Deng
Xiaoping.
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/ SECTION III