TNAG-0743-FCO40-947-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 216

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overseas.

The Prime Minister said that it was nevertheless his ition to visit China and he gratefully accepted Premier Hua's invitation. He hoped that, if. he were not able to take it up in the near future, Premier Hua would nevertheless pay a visit to

the UK. Mr. Huang said that if the Prime Minister did find time to visit China, he would be very warmly received by Premier Hua and by the Chinese people.

The Prime Minister repeated that

he would regard his visit as a pleasure to come. He remarked that great changes appeared to be taking place in China at the present time.

Mr. Huang said that the general situation in China was good, following the overthrow of the Gang of Four towards the end of 1976. Under the leadership of Premier Hua Kuo-feng, China had achieved stability and the unity of all her people. There was in China a common aspiration to end China's backwardness and to transform the country into a rich and prosperous socialist nation. The Chinese people did not underestimate the difficulties which lay ahead but they had the confidence and the necessary conditions

to achieve their goal of modernising their industry, agriculture,

defensive capacity, science and technology by the end of this

century. The Prime Minister commented that China had both the ability and the history to achieve this. Mr. Huang said that

China was also rich in natural resources; moreover

after 29 years

of hard work and development, she had established a comprehensive

industrial base.

The Prime Minister enquired about the Chinese Government's

agricultural policy and in particular about the progress of mechanisation on the land. Mr. Huang replied that, in accordance with the Thoughts of Chairman Mao, agriculture remained the basis of the national economy although insufficient had been done in the past to make a reality of this precept. China still relied

primarily on manual labour in her agriculture and mechanisation was consequently a priority, along with the integration of the food processing industries into the agricultural sector of the economy,

thus increasing the income of the agricultural population.

In

this way, additional manpower would also be released to industry and to the social services. In response to a further question

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