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With it, we can tackle change constructively.
We must
In
preserve the best of the past in building the future.
that spirit, we welcome the challenge of new technology and
will make sure our people will enjoy its benefits.
In
Both our countries have changed in the seven years
since my first visit here, and changed for the better.
China, a new atmosphere of confidence and dynamism has been
reflected in steady economic growth over the last 5 years
and increased opening to the outside world. In agriculture,
you have had consecutive record harvests for the last 5 years.
China is now the world's foremost grain producer.
These are the first fruits of the reforms which you
have instigated, and you are now embarking on an ambitious
programme of industrial reform. We watch this process of
change with admiration and with intense interest.
In Britain, we have succeeded in controlling inflation;
increasing industrial efficiency and output; and most
important, in changing attitudes. We too are creating a
brighter and more challenging future for our people. The
most basic principle which both our Governments are applying
is courage to be objective in analysing problems.
As you
would put it: to seek truth from facts.
When I last came to China, the question of the future
of Hong Kong was a problem to be resolved between us. Here
too, we had to face change. The negotiations to a successful
conclusion we mark today have not only resolved this problem
and given solid grounds for confidence to the people of Hong