Your  Excellency, My Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen, sponsors, Chopsticks Members, friends and supporters
 
It is my enormous pleasure and privilege to stand here to welcome you here tonight for this milestone event celebrating 15 years of the Chopsticks Club. I stand here representing a network of almost 1000 people from two global players; China and Britain. Our network of members includes professionals from every walk of life and a diversity of backgrounds. The common link, however, is a passion for China,the desire to understand her better and to be a partner with her in our intertwined and globalised world.
 
I believe that 2008 will be seen as a milestone year in China's modern history. China's Opening Ceremony performance at the Olympic Games was dazzling, spectacular, impressive – a real show to be proud of and a display that China has come of age. The 'One World One Dream' slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was a great vision to set; of a world where people from many nations and minorities aim for the same ideal and I applaud China for its vision. This ideal is, of course, the way humanity was created but sadly our world is not like that. Rather we live in a world where people are fighting to survive, where dreams are realised, where fortunes are lost and where there is communication breakdown. Our club, aims to provides a channel for open communication between two rich and historic cultures that enables discussion, honest and open opinion and a community.
 
The Chopsticks Club plays a valuable role here in London in providing a platform to enable people to understand the business style, history, culture, traditions and developments happening in China. We are not simply a dining and social club. We are a dynamic network of people engaged in China in many ways, culturally descended from there, doing business there, travelling there. We aim to organise events that enable our members to broaden their understanding of China's culture and traditions, to aid in continuous professional development, and to create opportunities to do business together. We also hope to provide a means for Chinese nationals recently arrived in London to find a ready-made community of friends to help them integrate into our community.
 
When the Club was founded as 'China Tuesdays' back in 1993 the Club was a small group of graduates from the University of Durham. The Club's founder, Rupert Hoogewerf, famous in China now for his Hurun Business Report, had a great vision to provide a place for friends to meet to keep abreast of the changes in modern China. Little did many of us envisage that China would transform itself into such a giant and to achieve this so quickly over the last 15 years. Alongside that transformation there has been a tremendous growth in the UK in the thirst for knowledge about China and the Chopsticks Club has been well-placed to deliver this with the valuable input from all of those speakers who have so generously shared their insight and experience with us. It will be vital for our children to know more about China and its culture. My professor from Durham University, Don Starr, and I – along with two others, led a campaign to save the Department of East Asian Studies from closure knowing how important our relations with China would be to the future of our country. Whilst that campaign ultimately failed, I am delighted, on a personal level, to say that I am introducing mandarin Chinese to 300 primary school children in two schools in Lambeth by teaching them Chinese as part of their curriculum.
 
My colleague, Theresa Booth, and I are very excited about the future of the Club. To date we have run it entirely voluntarily out of a deep-rooted passion for China and of our network. That basis will not change. But you will notice today that we have a new, fresher and more professional look with a new logo. Our new website will be launched next month with additional services and information that will benefit both our members and new partner organisations. We believe that 2008 will also be seen as milestone year for the Chopsticks Club. Consequently, we are so excited that you are all here tonight to witness a new beginning built on firm foundations of loyalty, reputation, goodwill and support.
 
It is amazing how quickly fifteen years can go by and, in that time,
 
·    how many friendships can develop
·    how many business deals can be won
·    and how many delicious Chinese meals can be eaten
 
It has also been a great encouragement to us to see the growth in confidence of our Chinese members and to hear their voice and their perspective on their own mother country.
 
We are all lovers of statistics and I wanted to share these with you. In the last fifteen years we have:
 
·    Held 180 dinner / speaker events including debates
·    Organised 3 business workshops for entrepreneurs
·    Entertained nearly 9,000 people
·    Invited eminent historians, politicians, authors, academics, business people and artistic performers to share their knowledge and expertise
·    Eaten over a ton of noodles and devoured 17,000 crispy duck pancakes!
·    Tonight you will enjoy one of the best home-cooked Chinese meals you have ever had
 
I could not end my speech without saying a few thank yous
 
Thanks to our partner for the evening, celebrity chef and musician Guo Yue for supporting the Club's vision and for planning our meal so meticulously for tonight
 
Thank you to our sponsors :
 
·     Alden Hendi for printing our programme and menu cards
·     InFX Solutions & Golden Pig Translation Services for building our new website
·     Wing Yip for
·     Hurun Report for the longevity of our partnership
·     Sin Lik beer for providing the beer for us tonight
·     Qipao by Jane based in Beijing for designing and making my qipao specially for tonight's event
 
 
Other thanks go to
 
·     St Helen's church for all their support behind the scenes to make tonight possible and to run so smoothly and for welcoming us so warmly into this beautiful, old and peaceful place and for providing willing helpers to serve us tonight
·     To Iain Orr for his in-depth cultural knowledge and for creating a menu To Zhao Xue Mei for her support
·     To Paulene Monro for making the flowers
·     To all of our volunteers, members and friends waiting on you
·     To Yan Tong for helping in so many ways
·     To Al Brunker, photographer and compere
And all of the organising committee for all your hard work and dedication.
 
THANK YOU ALL for sharing this evening with us. Theresa and I wish you a memorable and happy evening.
 
 
I am delighted to welcome Her Excellency Ambassador Madame Fu Ying to our drinks reception tonight. It is a real pleasure to have you with us and to introduce you to the Chopsticks Club.
 
Would you please all raise your glasses to the Ambassador and the future of the Chopsticks Club.