Liao Chengzhi - After 1949

After 1949

Even as he turned 70, Liao remained active and busy in politics, in 1978 heading up the newly-established Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the newly-revived Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, of whose predecessor he had been the head up until 1970. He also continued to play an important role in Sino-Japanese relations, accompanying Deng Xiaoping on his visit to Japan, meeting with Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda. In March 1980, with his health worsening, Liao flew to the United States to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery at the Stanford University's Medical Center. He remained overweight even in his twilight years; after his surgery, his wife tried to manage his diet more closely, but he continued to eat fatty foods and smoke the occasional cigarette. In 1982, he received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater of Waseda. On 25 July of the same year, the People's Daily published Liao's open letter to his old jailer Chiang Ching-kuo, who by then had risen to the position of President of the Republic of China. Addressing Chiang as "my brother", he again touched upon the theme of the common origin of the two parties, and urged Chiang to take proactive steps towards the reunification of the mainland and Taiwan.

Liao died of a heart attack at 5:22 AM on 10 June 1983 in Beijing. His heart attack came at an untimely juncture for China, as he was widely anticipated to be the next candidate for the position of Vice President of the People's Republic of China.