Before becoming Premier, Zhao had had very little international experience. He visited Yugoslavia, Romania and Iran in 1978 and led a delegation from Sichuan province to visit Britain, France and West Germany in 1979. Since September 1980 he has taken on a busy programme of meeting high level foreign visitors and has He has recently also made regular visits to foreign countries. made lengthy and well-publicised tours of Africa (1982-3), Australia and New Zealand (1983) and the United States and Canada (1984). He has emerged from these as a strong personality capable of speaking plainly but diplomatically.
He is married to Liang Bogi, who does not appear in public, and has 4 sons, 1 daughter and 3 grandchildren.
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Together with Communist Party Secretary General Hu Yaobang, Zhao forms the kernel of the collective leadership that Deng Xiaoping is seeking to establish to ensure the continuity of his policies for China's development. He has grown in stature and authority, and in this respect he compares very favourably with Hu Yaobang. He has shown a particular interest in and grasp of the technological
He has aspects of Chinese development, particularly computers. not been as inclined to promote his supporters into key positions as has Hu Yaobang, and this, together with weak links with the military, may be a source of future vulnerability.
It remains to
be seen how well he will be able to work with Hu Yaobang when Deng Xiaoping departs from the scene.
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Premier
Jao rhymes with coW
Zer rhymes with fur Yang rhymes with bang
CONFIDENTIAL
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