The Sino-British Joint Liaison Group (JLG) held a reception in Hong Kong on December 21 to celebrate the completion of its mission, which aimed to implement the terms of the Sino-British Joint Declaration to maintain long-term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong.

"The JLG has made, through friendly cooperation, hundreds of arrangements for the smooth transition and handover of power in Hong Kong ever since it was established on May 24, 1985, when the Sino-British Joint Declaration went into force," said Wu Hongbo, Chinese senior representative.

"We have now reached the final destination together, with a sense of mission accomplished," said Alan Paul, British senior representative, who jointly hosted the reception with Wu.

Wu said that the great concept of "one country, two systems" has already become reality both in Hong Kong and Macao.

At present, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), headed by its chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, has been leading the Hong Kong people forward in the unprecedented enterprise of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and remarkable successes have already been made toward this end.

The central people's government will, as always, support vigorously the efforts of the Hong Kong SAR government in its administration according to law. The mainland of China will remain forever firmly supportive for the long-term stability and prosperity of the Hong Kong SAR, Wu said.

Both Wu and Paul spoke highly of Chinese President Jiang Zemin' s visit to the United Kingdom in October this year.

"The visit promoted our bilateral relations to a new stage of development and the new century will witness further growth of the bilateral relations between China and the United Kingdom," said Wu.

Paul said, "the state visit of President Jiang Zemin to Britain was a great success. We are determined to build on that achievement to our mutual benefit."

Both sides expressed confidence in Hong Kong's future under the guidance of the "one country, two systems" principle.

Paul attributed significance to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, saying that the declaration, a most reliable compass to guide the JLG, gave the JLG members a clear sense of direction and common goals for continued prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and its smooth transition.

"Today, `one country, two systems` is working well in Hong Kong. And the joint declaration continues to be the guarantee and guide for Hong Kong's future," said Paul.

Paul pointed out that the work of the JLG proved that the sensitive issues between countries can be solved by consultation and cooperation, which constitutes an encouraging message to the whole world community.

Anson Chan, administrative secretary of Hong Kong, who was present at the reception, thanked the JLG "for their dedication and years of hard work in turning the unique concept of `one country, two systems` into a reality."

"It is now up to the government of the Special Administrative Region and the people of Hong Kong, with the support of the central government, to ensure its continued success," she said.

The JLG concluded the 47th meeting, its last meeting, in Hong Kong, on December 8. It will be dismissed on January 1, 2000 in accordance with the Joint Declaration between the two countries.