Plane hear
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VISIT BY AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO CHINA - JULY 1981
RECORD OF DISCUSSION WITH LI XIANNIAN
VIGE CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
Senator D.J. Hamer (Leader of Delegation) The Hon. W. Morrison
The Hon. A.E. Adermann
· U.E. Innés
Lonator R.C, Elstob
Nr G. Chapman
Mr C.E. Edwards (Parliamentary Officer)
H.E. Mr H. A, Dunn Ambassador to Chine
Mr A.M. McLean, Counsellor, Australian Embassy
1,30 pm on 4 July 1981
Main subjecte discussed:
ralia/China relations; 6th Party Plenum Assessment of Mao; inese Economy; Taiwan; Hong Kong Sino/Soviet relations
In the opening pleasantries Vice Chairman Li recalled visit to Australia in 1980 with some nostalgia, told Li that his visit to Australia was still very warmly
Senator Hamer remembered. Vice Chairman Lt referred to Australia's great
ize, rich natural resources and its very small population of only 15 million people. He said that China had many more people than that and could give Australia some of them. Senator Hamer epided that on average Australia received 100,000 immigrants Brutally. He said that Australia could not absorb too many more then that each year without causing dislocation to the economy of Australia, Vice Chairman Li replied that even if Chinese people were driven out they would not be willing to leave China. It would be difficult to get them to go. Vice Chairman Li noted that there were already quite a few immigrants in Australia from South East Asia, many whom were overseas. Chinese. Senator Hamer said that in the main they were Australian citizens and very good ones. Many had settled in Australia and had made good contributions to Austral
tralia. The Mayor of Australia's northern-
of Chinese descent, Vice Chairman Li
~
ecalled that he had had a brief refuelling stop in Darwin on
way back to China and that during World War II the Japanese ben
een very eager to seize it but had failed. Senator Hamer ved that while the Japanese had failed to seize Darwin hey had bombed it very fiercely. Vice Chairtan Li agreed that
had not succeeded and that subsequently the Japanese had ecome weaker and had withdrawn entirely. time they had occupied more than half of China's territory
However, at the same eluding part of its railway system. Nevertheless the "back
of China had been still in Chinese hands.
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