*SON 73DAY, DECEMBER 11, 1909
*PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPRESS, ON BEHALF OF MY CHINESE COLLEAGUES PRESENT AND IN MY OWN NAME, OUR THANKS TO SIR EDWARD FOR HIS WARM HOSPITALITY.
+THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS FORMALLY SIGNED THE JOINT DECLARATION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR. WE ARE PLEASED TO NOTE THAT OVER THE YEAR SINCE THEN THE HON KONG PEOPLE HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY CONFIDENT OF THE FUTURE THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SITUATION HAS BEEN FAIRLY GOOD, AND THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND THE SINO-BRITISH LAND COMMISSION HAVE BEEN OPERATING SMOOTHLY.
+WE HOPE THAT THIS GOOD SITUATION WILL CONTINUE AND DEVELOP FURTHER.
*THE SATISFACTORY SETTLEMENT OF THE HONG KONG QUESTION USHERED IN A NEW PERIOD IN SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. THE EXCHANGES AND COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA'S MAINLAND AND HONG KONG IN THE ECONOMIC, TRADE, CULTURAL AND SCIENTIFIC-TECHNOLOGICAL FIELDS HAVE BECOME CLOSER AND DEVELOPED FURTHER.
+1 HOPE AND BELIEVE THAT IN THE DAYS TO COME WE AND OUR BRITISH FRIENDS WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE EFFORTS RESPECTIVELY IN THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG, THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT IN 1997 AND THE FULL AND ACCURATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION.
+AND I FEEL VERY SORRY THAT MY WIFE COULD NOT COME ON THIS
! WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONVEY MY WIFE'S REGARDS TO SIR EDWARD YOUDE AND LADY YOUDE.
TRIP.
+NOW, MAY I PROPOSE A TOAST
TO THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM,
TO THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG,
TO THE HEALTH OF SIR EDWARD AND LADY YOUDE, AND
TO THE HELATH OF ALL PRESENT HERE!+
AFTER THE SPEECHES, SIR EDWARD AND MR JI EXCHANGED SOUVENIRS. MR JI GAVE SIR EDWARD A CHINESE PAINTING WHILE SIR EDWARD GAVE IN RETURN A PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION OF MODERN THINGS IN HONG KONG.
ACCOMPANYING MR JI AT TONIGHT'S DINNER WERE MR XU JIATUN AND MADAM GU YIPING, MR LI HOU, MR RONG KANG, MR ZONG GUANGYAQ, MR LU YUCUN, MR LI CHUWEN, MR ZHENG HUA, MR QIAO ZONGHUAI, MR JI SHAOXIANG, MR LI RUOHE, AND MR SUN YANGHEN.
OTHER GUESTS INCLUDED SIR DENYS ROBERTS, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, MR JOR-GENERAL T.A. BOAM, SIR JOHN BREMRIDGE, MR MICHAEL THOMAS, SIR S.Y. CHUNG, MR OSWALD CHEUNG, MR MICHAEL SANDBERG, MISS LYDIA DUNN, MR LEE QUO-WEI, MR ERIC HO, MR DONALD LIAO, MR CHEUNG YAN- LUNG, MR HILTON CHEONG-LEEN, MR DAVID LI, DOCTOR MA LIN,
MR JUSTICE LI, LORD KADOOR IE, SIR Y.K. PAO, MR JOHN BOYD, MR JOHN TODD, MR LI KA-SHING, MR MICHAEL MILES, YR ROBIN HUTCHEON, MR FEI YIMIN, DOCTOR T.K. ANN, MR RONALD LI AND MP Y.P. CHENG.