BEIJING - The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs will be jointly invited by the British and Chinese governments to represent the Republic at the ceremony marking the return to Chinese sovereignty of Hong Kong at midnight on June 30th, according to diplomatic sources in Beijing, Conor O'Clery writes.
Some 40 countries will be invited to the ceremony, which will be witnessed by an estimated 6,000 journalists, the sources said. They include all 15 European Union member states. The number of countries receiving invitations has been limited by the problem of accommodating delegations in the territory.