§ Q15. Mr. Parryasked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her recent meeting with Chairman Hua Guofeng.
§ The Prime MinisterPremier Hua Guofeng visited Britain from 28 October to 3 November. His delegation included Vice Premier Yu Qiuli, Foreign Minister Huang Hua, and four Vice Ministers.
Premier Hua's programme reflected the importance which the Government attached to the first visit to this country by a Premier of the People's Republic of China. It included industrial and agricultural visits, as well as social, ceremonial and cultural occasions.
I had two sessions of official talks with Premier Hua, as well as a number of informal discussions. Our discussions on international affairs were wide ranging, and we reached a useful measure of agreement on many issues. We paid particular attention to the dangers for South-East Asia of Vietnamese policies in 238W Indo-China, and I underlined our deep concern at the situation in Kampuchea. I also explained our policies on Rhodesia.
We both expressed satisfaction with the rapid expansion of our bilateral relations, and our determination to maintain this process. We agreed that we had a mutual interest in the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, and Premier Hua gave assurances that immigration from China would be reduced. We also discussed trade and defence sales in general terms, and cultural and air services agreements were signed.
Premier Hua's visit was the culmination of several years of steadily improving relations between Britain and China. I believe that the talks we had, and the visit itself, have made a significant contribution to the further development of our relations, and have established an excellent basis for increasing co-operation in all fields.