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5. WITH LI PENG THE FOCUS WAS ON HUMAN RIGHTS, GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY. LI WAS RELAXED AND CONFIDENT. CLARK ARGUED THAT EVEN WHEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAME FIRST, POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT HAD SOONER OR LATER TO FOLLOW. LI GAVE NO GROUND BUT SAID CHINA WOULD BE WILLING AT ANY TIME TO CONTINUE THE DEBATE.
KONG, LI TOO RESTATED CHINESE VIEWS. BUT LIKE QIAN HE DID SO CALMLY, WITHOUT INVECTIVE AGAINST THE UK OR THE GOVERNOR.
6.
CLARK'S MEETINGS WITH THE VICE-PREMIERS CONCENTRATED ON COMMERCIAL ISSUES. CLARK INVITED ZHU RONG JI TO PAY AN EARLY VISIT TO CANADA.
7. ON 29 MARCH CLARK FLEW TO HONG KONG, WHERE THE GOVERNOR GAVE HIM A BRIEFING. ON 30 MARCH CLARK ADDRESSED THE CANADIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
8.
BRIGGS MADE CLEAR THAT A MAJOR PURPOSE OF CLARK'S VISIT TO CHINA WAS TO PURSUE CANADIAN COMMERCIAL INTERESTS (EG ON ENERGY DEVELOPMENT: THERE WAS A PARTICULARLY FRIENDLY MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHINESE NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION). IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT ZHU BUT NOT QIAN HAS BEEN INVITED TO VISIT EANADA. THE VISIT MOVED THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP FORWARD, BUT WITHOUT SUGGESTING THAT RELATIONS ARE BACK TO NORMAL. CLARK WAS STRUCK BY THE CALMNESS OF HIS CHINESE INTERLOCUTORS, PARTICULARLY LI, ON HONG KONG.
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