and Japan
CONFIDENTIAL
ently for Korea.
(We intend to work this up into
a more glossy version for the State Visit to China in
October.)
As the Prime Minister may recall from her previous
Short
meeting with Mr Hu Yaobang, he is a man of vitality
with a reputation for being unpredictable and, for a
Chinese, uncharacteristically expressive in his
gestures. (He smokes, and has on occasion, in the
exuberance of the moment, been known separately
to remove his dentures and to hold his foreign
interlocutor's hand).
Although he has had a chequered
career since 1980 Hu is widely regarded as Deng
Xiaoping's chosen successor in the Party.
Whether or
not he actually does succeed Deng (he is already 71)
Hu will for the immediate future, continue to work at
Deng's right hand as an energetic and no-nonsense
reformer, seeking to shake up a political system which
suffers from excessive bureaucracy and the paralysing
effects of the cultural revolution. He is an astute
and practical operator who has built up a large group
of political allies and proteges. Among his weaknesses,
however, are his lack of understanding with the armed
forces, and a wider feeling that he lacks the dignity
and composure appropriate to a national leader.
Li Peng, the Vice Premier and Member of the Politbure
accompanying Mr Hu, has wide government responsibilities
including energy and education (he is concurrently
Chairman of the State Education Commission). He is a
key figure in the development of China's infrastructure;
a senior member of Deng Xiaoping's team; and could well
succeed/!..