CONFIDENTIAL
7. WHEN I LAST CAME TO CHINA THE QUESTION OF THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WAS A PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED BETWEEN US. OUR SUCCESSFUL NEG- OTATIONS HAVE NOT ONLY ACHIEVED THIS BUT ALSO BROUGHT BRITAIN AND CHINA CLOSER TOGETHER AND GIVEN FRESH
IMPETUS TO EFFORTS MADE OVER MANY YEARS TO EVOLVE STRONGER AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US. EXCELLENT PROSPECTS FOR STRENGTHENING CULTURAL LINKS ALREADY EXIST. PROSPECTS FOR BUILDING ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES NOW BRIGHTER THAN EVER BEFORE. BRITAIN HAS MUCH EXPERIENCE IN MANY OF THE AREAS WHICH ARE CENTRAL TO YOUR MODERNISATION PLANS. CAN THEREFORE MAKE ENORMOUS CONTRIBUTION TO HELPING YOU BUILD A STRONG AND PROSPEROUS CHINA AND LOOK FORWARD
TO DOING SO.
8. STRENGTH AND PROSPERITY AT HOME REQUIRE PEACE AND STABILITY ABROAD. AS CHAIRMAN DENG HAS SAID: ''LIKE THE REST OF THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, WE REALLY NEED A PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT''
HOW TRUE THAT IS. BOTH BRITAIN AND CHINA HAVE SHOWN THEMSELVES CAPABLE AND WILLING TO WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY FOR A MORE STABLE WORLD IN WHICH THREAT POSED BY ARMED MIGHT RECEDES. WITH OUR SHARED GOOD-WILL AND OUR PRAGMATIC ATTITUDE TO INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, WE SHOULD NOW REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS TO CONTRIBUTE JOINTLY TO WORLD PEACE AND PROSPERITY, IN THE SPIRIT TO WHICH BRITISH POET TENNYSON GAVE EXPRESSION IN
HIS RINING CALL: **TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND AND NOT TO
YEILD''.
9. MR PREMIER, IT HAS BEEN A GREAT PERSONAL PLEASURE FOR ME TO DEVELOP OUR EARLIER FRIENDSHIP ON THIS VISIT. I LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU IN LONDON NEXT YEAR. FOR NOW, IN THANKING YOU FOR THIS MAGNIFICENT BANQUET I BORROW THE WORDS OF
**WITH EVEN
A CHINESE PROVERB TO ANTICIPATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN
ENDURING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES:
STEPS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REACH THE SKY''.
ENDS
EVANS
LiMiTED
FED
HKD
PLANNING STAFF.
MR. WILSON.
-2-
CONFIDENTIAL
COPIES
TO
SiR. P. CRADDOCK.