§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsI visited China from 4 to 8 January at the invitation of the Chinese Government as part of a tour to the Far East. In Peking I had two meetings with Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Canming and I called on Vice Premier Ji Pengfei and Premier Zhao Ziyang.
We had very useful discussions, covering a wide range of international and bilateral issues. We agreed that there was great scope for development of Sino-British trade. Both sides expressed themselves pleased with the development of contacts between Guandong province and Hong Kong. It is also clear to me that the Chinese Government will soon be studying the question of their attitude to the territory's future, taking into account its value as a free port and a centre of commerce and trade.
Before leaving China I spent a day in Shanghai where I met the mayor and representatives of the British business community.
This was a successful and useful visit which confirmed the excellence of our relations with China.