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The China Daily of 29 April contained a letter from Michael de Havilland of Sussex, who said he had returned to his own country after a "momentous experience as a foreign expert in Shanghai". He wrote that as a result of lecturing in Europe and broadcasting on "New China" he had received a great volume of opinion from people in all walks of life expressing sympathetic views that HK should be returned to its rightful owners, China, without any fuss. He wrote about the "exploitation" of China, including by British companies which ruthlessly foisted endless supplies of opium upon an innocent and helpless Chinese society, thus creating the inevitable "HK situation". Mr de Havilland said he wanted to assure readers that many disagreed with Mrs Thatcher's views on HK and said she would do well to have a spell in China to learn how the average Chinese man in the street felt about this thorny issue.
9.
OTHER ITEMS:
Mayor of Guangzhou: A Xinhua despatch said the son of Marshal Ye Jianying, Mr. Ye Xuanping, had been appointed Acting Mayor of Guangzhou. He replaced Mr. Liang Lingguang, who had been elected Governor of Guangdong.
Delegates to CPPCC: A China News Service despatch said the number of HK and Macau delegates to the forthcoming sixth Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference had been increased from 20 to 47. The 6th CPPCC with about 2 000 members would be convened in early June. Meanwhile, seven HK and Macau delegates had been elected to the Fujian Provincial People's Political Party Conference.
Investment: Ta Kung Pao said a textile factory in HK, Kwong Luen Tai Enterprise, would set up a spinning mill in En Ping at the Pearl River Estuary with total investment amounting to US$10m. The mill would be operational next year.
Bankers: A group of 27 HK bankers, led by the Vice-General Manager of the Bank of China, Mr. Jiang Wen-gui, is now visiting Hainan Island to study investment opportunities
there.
Responsibility of students: The newly-elected president of Baptist College Students' Union said it was the responsibility of post-secondary students to show concern about develop- ments in HK and China. His union would work towards this in the year ahead.
Airport tax: The China Travel Service and the Chinese National Civil Aviation Corporation, together with two Chinese tourism agencies, have urged the Government to rethink the airport tax increase, which was unfair to passengers travelling short distances, particularly those on flights to China. A Wen Wei Po editorial echoed their views, saying that there should be no airport tax increase for flights to China.
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