Ke was involved in early stage of Sino-British talks on Hong Kong’s future in the early 1980s
Ke Hua’s youngest daughter, Ke Lingling, was Xi’s first wife. Their three-year marriage ended in 1982 and she subsequently moved to Britain.
In 1954, Ke Hua joined China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became the first person to take up the post of director general of its protocol department. In 1960, he became China’s first envoy to an African country with his appointment as ambassador to Guinea.
He served as director general of the ministry’s department of Asian affairs in the mid-1970s and was appointed China’s ambassador to Britain in 1978.
In July 1982, Ke discussed with then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher Hong Kong’s future when he hosted a dinner for the “Iron Lady” at the Chinese embassy in London.
