I
!
Your Excellency, Madame Xie (pronounced Shieh),
Ladies and Gentlemen
You were first posted to London in 1954 when half your
current age.
Between then and now you have worked for
closer and more productive relations between China and
Britain for the best part of 12 years, a significant
period equivalent to one full cycle in the Chinese calendar.
We in Britain pride ourselves on pragmatism. You have
a similar tradition: Confucius said "A gentleman is
ashamed to let his words outrun his deeds". This mutual
spirit of determination to achieve practical results
allowed us to reach agreement in 1984 on Hong Kong.
Since signature much has been done to implement agree-
ment and thus ensure smooth transition in 1997. However
much remains to be done. For our part we remain firmly
committed to principles of agreement, to their imple-
mentation and thus to maintenance of security and prosperity
of Hong kong.
Although Hong Kong is the cornerstone of the excellent
relations which exist between our two countries, you have
helped to bring about many other developments during your
time in London. Several agreements have been signed, on
economic cooperation, on the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy, on investment promotion and protection, and now
most recently on property claims.
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