Your Excellency Governor Liu Tianfu.
It gives me great pleasure to be in Canton today. My visit is very short but no less valuable to me on that account.
Because of history and geography Canton and Guangdong Province have always played a major role in China's trade with the rest of the world. So Canton has naturally held a leading place in the long history of trade between our two countries. [end p1]
In more recent times the spring and autumn Canton Trade Fairs have maintained that tradition and have been for many British businessmen their first introduction to your great country and its products.
With your current open door policy, more and more of those meetings are taking place here in Canton.
A good example was the investment promotion conference held here in June.
I have heard something of your plans for developing Guangdong Province and had a brief glimpse of the energy and optimism of the people of Canton. [end p2] I hope that this vigour coupled with your leadership and careful planning will bring the economic success they deserve.
I was delighted to learn, Governor Liu, a short time ago that your provincial government had signed a contract with Cable and Wireless for the provision of a province-wide microwave link similar to that which has been established between Hong Kong and Canton. Many negotiations are in progress and we are especially interested in [end p3] your offshore oil reserves in the Pearl River delta and further to the South and West in the South China Sea.
As the Governor will know, we in Britain have developed our North Sea oil production over the past ten years—starting from nothing we are now a bigger producer than Abu Dhabi or Indonesia, and comparable with China herself. [end p4]
We are also involved in preliminary negotiations for the construction of a nuclear power station in Guangdong Province.- an exciting project promoted by the Guangdong authorities. Which would substantially assist in the economic development of the whole region. [end p5]
I believe that our deepening friendship and interest in China will develop side by side with an increase in economic co-operation a great deal of such co-operation already takes place between Hong Kong and Canton. [end p6]
Your Excellency, may I thank you on behalf of my delegation for being such agreeable and attentive hosts, and allowing us to savour the world famous Cantonese cuisine so exquisitely represented by this lunch. I am glad that it was possible for me to include this city in my brief visit to China—the first by a British Prime Minister in office—and I am only sorry that I cannot stay longer. What I have seen has left me with deep and abiding memories of an industrious and intelligent people.
I wish Guangdong Province and its leaders success.