property claims.
These agreements are not merely pieces of paper.
They represent significant steps forward and are already
leading to further achievements. Two way trade is now
twice the level of four years ago. It should be
approaching £1 bn by the end of this year.
Student Exchanges
Greatly increased numbers of students also now come
from China to Britain. With the Sino/British Friendship
Scholarship Scheme the numbers of students directly
funded by the British Government will double between the
academic years 1986 and 1987. This year has also seen
the first Royal Fellows coming to Britain from China.
Visits
But perhaps the most evident sign of our close
relations has been the visits by your top leaders in 1985
and 1986, and the Queen's truly memorable State Visit to China last year. Elspeth and I, and you, were privileged to participate in that wonderful visit.
Cultural Cooperation
The visit produced some spectacular television
pictures to complement our growing knowledge of China
through major television series such as the Eye of the
Dragon and now the Silk Road. During your time we have
also been privileged to enjoy visits from your central ballet, China Youth Symphony Orchestra and Peking Opera.
FC2ACK
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