when there may well be Chinese investment in this country. There is already in Yorkshire. If the investment from China were to grow in this country, we must know more about what is the motive behind the Chinese investment and what China is like, and why they are doing it. I hope to see many more people studying the Chinese language in the universities and elsewhere, just to know more about it. More academics are needed. They have drifted to America, I am sorry to say, over the years.
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very much.
Chairman: That is a very helpful message.
Thank you
Sir Richard, would you like to add to that? Sir Richard Evans: Chairman, you said that Hong Kong was supposed to be the springboard or the stepping stone. In 1985 when I was Ambassador, I never thought that the fact that we had at that juncture just signed the Joint Declaration would give us much of an edge when it came to trade. Conversely, I do not believe that we have suffered terribly from any political turbulence we may go through with China over the next few years in relation to Hong Kong. It is perhaps a paradox that though China is a state trading country, though with qualifications, it seems to be less affected by politics in its trading than some countries which are not state trading countries. It is really a matter of resolution and organisation by British industry.
Mr
Chairman: We want to come on to the Hong Kong issues and we have one or two more questions about the longer term. Sumberg was talking about non-governmental exchange which we have already touched on it. Do you want to pursue that briefly?
Mr Sumberg: I do. I would like to know in a little detail not too much obviously because of time what exactly the British government should be doing to improve its relations with China. You spoke about us having a greater knowledge of China, the language and so forth, but in actual terms what sort of measures would you like to see the Government taking or encouraging?
Sir Richard Evans : There is a general point I would
like to make.
The Chinese
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rely
very
much on
personal
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