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The HKSAR Government hosted a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this evening (December 5) for the delegation of the Shenzhou-7 manned space mission.
About 360 guests attended the dinner, including SAR Government officials, representatives of Central Government organisations in Hong Kong and members from the political, business and other sectors of the community.
A short documentary on the launch of Shenzhou-7 and astronaut's spacewalk was screened before the dinner. The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, and the delegation leader, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China's Manned Space Engineering Programme Mr Zhang Jianqi, each gave a speech and exchanged souvenirs. Mr Tsang and Mr Zhang together with the three astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng also proposed a toast at the dinner.
The delegation arrived in Hong Kong today for a four-day visit. Tomorrow morning (December 6), it will tour the harbour to see the latest developments along the waterfront. Then it will launch the "Exhibition on China's First Spacewalk Mission" at the Hong Kong Science Museum. In the afternoon, the delegation will meet tertiary students at a seminar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and brief them on the launch of Shenzhou-7, spacewalk technology and China's aerospace science development.
Ends/Friday, December 5, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:43
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