Tito prepares to fete Hua

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 9

Tito prepares to fete Hua

NZPA-Reuter

Bucharest

The Chinese leader, Hua Kuo-feng, having already" infuriated Moscow with his visit to Rumania, today flies to the Communist but nonaligned Yugoslavia.

Both Yugoslavia and Rumania, maverick countries of the Soviet bloc, are anxious to keep their distance from the Kremlin and to maintain good relations with China. Chairman Hua, on the first trip to Europe in 21 years by a Chinese Communist Party chairman is expected to receive the same largescale welcome in Belgrade as he did in Bucharest. Mr Hua caused a furore in Bucharest w’hen he called for a struggle against “hegemonism” — or domination of other countries — a term which, as the Soviet news agency, Tass, angrily retorted, “in the Chinese interpretation means struggle against the Soviet Union.”

This is not likely to be such an issue in Yugoslavia, which unlike Rumania does not belong to the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. President Jossip Broz Tito has himself denounced hegemonism recently. Nevertheless, Moscow is likely to see the Yugoslav trip as further evidence of what it views as a Chinese plan to draw the Balkan Communist countries into its orbit. It has already eccused Peking of trying to' turn the area into a powder-keg. For President Tito, who paid his first visit to China last September, Mr Hua’s arrival is a political victory crowning 10 years of steadily improving relations with Peking. The Yugoslav leader was once reviled by China as a traitor to communism after his break with the Soviet Union in 1949. Chairman Hua’s visit also reflects China’s growing interest in the Non-Aligned: Movement, of which President Tito is the only surviving founding father.

The Chinese have been: harshly critical of the activities of Soviet-backed Cuban troops in support of proMoscow regimes in Africa. At last month’s non-aligned Foreign Ministers’ conference in Belgrade, Peking's I close associate Cambodia denounced Cuba and Vietnam: ;as stooges of the Kremlin. ’ Yesterday was the tenth! [anniversary of the Warsaw! :Pact invasion of Czech-j oslovakia, which ended the! liberal regime of Alexander! Dubcek, and diplomats have! seen significance in the fact’ that Mr Hua will spend it in j the two main European I Communist countries which; opposed the Soviet-led inter-i vention. Before leaving for Bel-1 grade the Chinese delegation: will sign several economic | accords with Rumania. [ These are expected to in-j volve Chinese oil and Ruma-j nian drilling technology, and| deals for vehicles and heavy! industrial machinery. Economics will also play a I significant role in Yugos-j lavia, whose trade with' China doubled to $lBO million last year, and is! planned to reach $5OO mil-! lion a year by 1980, accord-! ing to Yugoslav officials.

China, anxious to turn itself into a modern industrial Power, is interested in the unique Yugoslav self-man-agement system, and over the past year several Chinese delegations have visited Yugoslavia to study it. Mr Hua will stay' in Belgrade until Thursday, before visiting Skopje, Zagreb, and President Tito’s residence on the Adriatic island of Brioni. He leaves Yugoslavia on August 29 to return home via Iran.