If you will permit some comments from a foreigner, I would like to say that, in my personal experience, it truly is amazing and energizing to watch China and Chinese people return to their ancient status at the centre of the world.

I actually am quite tearful about this - a mixture of joy and sadness. Joy because, at last, so many of you are being given the opportunity to fulfill your great potential. Sadness because of the years of my youth in which I was taught to believe in the great evil that China represented. Oh it makes me so disgusted with the lies, the crap, the total corruption of reality that I was taught to believe about you.

Fortunately, in my closing years, I have been able to visit your country a few times. I fully understand now why so many people who have the resources to visit other parts of the world choose instead to visit China. There is a life-time's worth of wonderful places to visit and things to try to understand. I will mention just one aspect: the treasures of HuiZhou architecture to be seen in Anhui Province.

So I wish you continued harmonious growth. Wisdom to your leaders who have truly great challenges to address to deliver a just and equitable society. Look after your country, respect its gifts, protect its rarities. Be patient with foreigners - our lack of understanding of your country - both good and bad - defies belief.