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by Xu Jianmei
LONDON, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet)-- Deng
Xiaoping was a brilliant leader in the shaping of modern
China, recalled former British Prime Minister Edward Heath,
adding that he had enjoyed "special friendship" with Deng
for more than two decades.
"To the world as a whole, he (Deng)
has showed how a country can be handled to get rapid expansion,
and how it can make its contribution to the whole world
in return," the 88-year-old Heath said in a recent interview
with Xinhua at his home in Salisbury, southern England.
SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN
HEATH AND DENG
Heath visited China 26 times in
27 years starting in May 1974, about two months after
his four-year premiership came to an end. It was his government
that established full diplomatic relations with China
in 1972 and Deng happened to be the first significant
Chinese leader he encountered in China.
Heath recalled, "I met Deng Xiaoping
for the first time in 1974,when he came to meet me at
the airport. He led me along the three lines of cheering
people who came to greet me. At that time I toldhim thank
you for looking after me."
"Then I got to see more of him
when he occupied the position ofa deputy leader (vice
premier) and we saw a great deal with each other... The
last time I met him was just before he retired," he continued,
adding that he could not count how many times he met the
late Chinese leader in total because their meetings were
just too many.
"Every meeting with him was interesting
for me. I think also often for him," Heath said with a
smile.
"I did treat the friendship between
Deng Xiaoping and myself special," he said, noting that
Deng always arranged him to stay inthe same guest house
he had lived during his first visit to Beijing.
Heath's visits to China in late
1970s helped break ice which had separated China from
the West for decades. In the 1980s, his visits also played
a key role in the Sino-UK negotiations on China's resumption
of sovereignty over Hong Kong, scholars say.
Remarkably, it was during the
talks with Heath in Beijing in April 1982 that Deng outlined
overall principles on how to solve the Hong Kong issue,
giving vital impetus to the tough negotiations between
the two countries.
The basis of one country with
two systems, proposed by Deng, "is entirely new, and was
created specifically to address Hong Kong's needs. I believe
it can work successfully," Heath said.
"The safe and peaceful return
of Hong Kong to China in 1997 was a historic and moving
event" which is also the best outcome to China, Britain,
Hong Kong and to the whole world as well, Heath added.
DENG'S PERSONALITY IN HEATH'S
EYES
Heath said that throughout all
their meetings and mail exchanges, Deng made an outstanding
impression on him.
"His personality was quiet, but
also intensive. He thought things beforehand and explained
them immediately. He never hesitated and they made a big
impression," Heath mused.
"And he did have a greater vision
of China, a very broad vision, also of its relations with
other countries" when he introduced reforms and opening-up
policies in 1978, Heath said.
Deng "had rather wise, brilliantly
extensive knowledge of his country's affairs and the major
world's affairs which affected China. He knew them, he
knew all about them and understood them intensively,"
he went on.
In his memoir published in 1998,
Heath said, "I enjoyed our discussions, and found Deng
Xiaoping to be open and straightforward in putting his
arguments. He always seemed receptive to what I told him,
prepared to give a direct answer to a direct question,
and also loved to spice our discussions with humor. "
"Deng obviously kept his long-term
objectives clearly in mind and had thought deeply about
how to achieve them. His stamina was remarkable, and his
staying power was proven time and time again," he wrote.
Heath has now personally met with
three generations of Chinese leaders. He had two long
talks with Mao Zedong respectively in 1974 and 1975, a
large number of meetings with Deng in three decades, and
also met the then Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1995.
Thanks to the reforms begun by
Deng and carried on by his successors, China has been
undergoing "absolutely astonishing" transformation and
is booming. It also exerts greater influence on international
affairs, Heath said.
The current Chinese leadership
"is following Deng's ideas but also take the opportunities
to go further," Heath observed.
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