TNAG-0842-FCO40-1051-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 7

BACKGROUND NOTE

VISIT OF GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG TO CHINA

The Governor of Hong Kong visited China from 24 March to

4 April 1979 at the invitation of the Chinese Government. This

1.

was the first time that such an invitation had been issued to a

Governor of Hong Kong since the Communists came to power in China

in 1949 (although a previous Governor, Sir Alexander Grantham,

paid a private visit to Peking in 1955 as the guest of the British

Chargé d'Affaire).

2. The visit was clearly intended by the Chinese to show their

readiness to establish close and friendly working relations with

the Hong Kong authorities, as part of their broader policy of

bolstering confidence in Hong Kong. It was decided that the

Governor should accept the invitation both because it was in

Hong Kong's interest to respond to this evident Chinese desire

for closer relations, and because the visit would provide the

Governor with an opportunity to find out more about China's

modernisation plans and the way in which they would affect

Hong Kong.

3. The Governor had meetings in Peking with senior Chinese

leaders including Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, Foreign Minister

Huang Hua, Minister of External Trade Li Qang, and others.

also had discussions in Canton with local provincial officials,

and paid tourist visits to the cities of Xian and Lanzhou.

He

4. The principal subjects raised during the visit were:-

a) Chinese Development Plans

The Chinese acknowledged the high level of industrial,

commercial and financial development that had been attained

by Hong Kong and stressed the importance to them of

/strengthening