Contacts with China’s leaders

Press, 18 October 1976, Page 4

Contacts with China’s leaders

NZPA Staff Correspondent Hong Kong New Zealand visitors to China over the last three years have met most of the central figures in the political upheaval which led to the reported purge of Chairman Mao Tsetung’s widow, Chiang Ching, and her fellow Shanghai radicals.

The former Labour Minister of Agriculture (Mr Colin Moyle) was the first to meet Mr Hua Kuo-feng, Chairman Mao’s successor as leader of the Chinese Communist Party, when he visisted China early last year.

Then unknown to Westerners, Mr Hua was Minister in charge of Public Security, and had just visited the scene of the severe earthquake, successfully predicted by the Chinese, which had rocked Liaoning province, causing severe damage but little loss of life.

The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) was the first to meet Mr Hua after he became Premier on the death of Mr Chou En-lai in January.

Mr Muldoon, who was one of the last three foreign leaders to see Chairman Mao before he died.

spent several hours in talks with the burly, crewcut Mr Hua during his visit to Peking in April and May.

During this visit Mr Muldoon met Mrs Mao, when they sat together watching a football match in the Peking Workers’ Stadium on May Day. This was the first time a visiting New Zealand minister had met the former Shanghai actress. “We talked about football,” Mr Muldoon said afterwards. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) became the first leader of a foreign political party to meet Mr Hua after Chairman Mao’s death. They spent nearly two hours in what Mr Rowling later described as relaxed conversation during his recent visit to China. The Vice-Premier (Mr Chang Chun-chiao), one of the leading Shanghai radicals reported to have been purged with Mrs Mao, met members of the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra during their visit to Peking in September last year. Mr Chang, a 66-year-old former journalist, attended the orchestra’s final concert in the capital.