Chinese visitor here next week

Press, 9 May 1980, Page 14

Chinese visitor here next week

Wellington reporter A senior Chinese Vice-Pre-mier will begin a visit to New Zealand next week with a look round the Antarctic wing of the Canterbury Museum and a civic reception in the Christchurch Town Hall. Mr Li Xiannian, who has been a Vice-Premier since 1954, specialises in financial and economic matters. He will be the most senior Chinese politician to have visited New Zealand. He will have talks with members and officials of the New Zealand Government on international affairs and New Zealand’s relations with China. He is particularly interested in co-operation in livestock farming and forest-

ryMr Li and his party, including vice-ministers of foreign affairs and foreign trade, will arrive in Christchurch about 2 p.m. on Monday in a Chinese Gov-

eminent aircraft and will ■ visit the museum and the i Town Hall that afternoon. On Tuesday Mr Li will • visit Lincoln College before ■ flying to Wellington to dine with the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) that evening. On Wednesday Mr Li will have talks with Cabinet ministers and Mr Muldoon and he will call on the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling), after a State luncheon at Parliament.

The talks will conclude on Thursday after which Mr Li will go to Taupo, Wairakei, and Rotorua, where he will spend the night. He will see forestry development round Rotorua on Friday and will visit the Ruakura Animal Research Station, before going to Auckland to attend a formal dinner as the guest of the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre). Mr Li will leave Auckland ion Sunday morning to return to China. ■