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Tengs next stop, Houston, was scheduled because of his expressed interest in space and oil technology. At the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, astronauts plan to tuck Teng into the cramped cockpit of a space shuttle training ship and take him through a simulated flight through space. The next day he will tour plants manufacturing the oil-drilling equipment China needs if the country is to utilize more fully its substantial oil reserves. When he tours the Hughes Tool Co. in Houston, Teng will be shown tungsten carbide oil-drill bits costing as much as $12,000 apiece. The Chinese bits now being made in Shanghai are similar to models manufactured in Texas 40 years ago. At a rodeo and barbecue, Teng will be presented with a cowboy hat.
When Teng is taken through a Boeing plant near Seattle, company officials hope to avoid a repetition of the mishap that occurred earlier this month. A Chinese advance delegation came upon a gleaming new 747, destined for Taiwan, with the Republic of China's flag emblazoned on its tail. Flustered, the delegation chief lifted a finger in rebuke and declared, "One China!"
Nearly 1,000 press and TV reporters from all over the world will cover Teng at one point or another during his trip, in addition to the 29 Chinese newsmen in his own party. Chinese cameramen will film the Vice Premier's activities for a half-hour broadcast each night, beamed by earth satellite to television viewers throughout China. In addition to getting some priceless exposure back home, Teng surely figures that by displaying the high U.S. standard of living and advanced technology on TV he can win considerable support for his modernization programs. His admiration for things American has already brought Charlie Chaplin films, Coca-Cola and a host of U.S. technicians to China.
Also traveling with Teng will be a battalion of security men. Though the U.S. Secret Service refuses to give out the number of agents assigned to Teng, its security effort will be among the largest in history. Vacations have been canceled and agents have been ordered to the cities Teng will visit in order to beef up regular details. C-141 cargo planes will fly two armored limousines around the country for Teng and his aides. The planes will carry additional agents, weapons, medical equipment and special communications gear as well.
Washington police have prepared for expected demonstrators by erecting storm fences around Lafayette Park, which is across from the White House and adjacent to Blair House, where Teng will stay. Demonstrations will be limited to restricted areas. Police and Secret Service agents will be armed with pistols, shotguns and machine guns, a show of force primarily intended to ward off pro-Taiwan groups that have objected to Carter's rupture of ties with the island in favor of the People's Republic. The Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative youth group, announced it would demonstrate and distribute thousands of wall posters denouncing China's human rights record.