DINNER AT 10 DOWNING STREET FOR GENERAL SECRETARY HU YAOBANG, 9 JUNE
1986
DRAFT SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER
1. Mr General Secretary, Mr Vice-Premier, Lords, Ladies and
Gentlemen.
2.
In 1984 I went to Peking to sign the Joint Declaration on Hong
Kong. It was a memorable and historic visit. It also enabled me to
invite you and Premier Zhao Ziyang to visit Britain. Almost exactly
one year ago, Premier Zhao was sitting here at this table. Since
then we have been keeping the seat warm for you. Our pleasure now is something which you and your distinguished delegation will
recognise. For one of the first remarks in the "Analects" of
Confucius is: "Is it not a delight that friends should visit from
afar"? That is true in modern Britain, just as it was in ancient
China.
3. Mr General Secretary, we are delighted that you have chosen to
begin your European tour here with this, your first visit to our
country. With you we welcome Vice-Premier Li Peng back to Britain as an old and valued friend. His positive role, over the years, in building up our economic cooperation, most recently with the Daya
Bay power generating project, is much appreciated. We also warmly welcome back Professor Fei Xiaotong, who has lived amongst us and
knows us well. We were delighted when he was awarded the Huxley
Memorial Medal in 1981.
4. Indeed, all the guests here tonight prove the vitality of the
bonds between us. The range is impressive. To take but a few examples: in space, our technologists are cooperating on solar power
for satellites. Lower down, Chinese, British and Pakistani
scientists joined together in 1980 in the International Karakoram
Project, a pioneering survey of the roof of world. On the ground,
we saw this year the reintroduction from Britain to China of the
rare Pere David's deer; and the establishment of a London
double-decker bus route from Central Peking to the Summer Palace.
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