It may well be the Ball of the Year, but potential guests to the handover ceremonies are starting to wonder.
Malcolm Rifkind confirmed yesterday the guest list had not been finalised with China but would be discussed when he meets Qian Qichen tomorrow.
'It is a joint ceremony and the guest list must be jointly agreed by the British and Chinese governments . . . it is one subject we want to have discussions on,' Mr Rifkind said yesterday.
Mr Rifkind's last talks with Mr Qian in New York last September ended with unresolved discussions on the list.
Another senior Foreign Office official said he hoped the ceremonies could be finalised 'very soon', saying embarrassing questions were now being asked by diplomatic attaches wanting to fill calendars.
'It's not yet at the stage of an international incident, but we do want to get things moving. No one wants it to be a hasty affair, after all.' Philippine Foreign Minister Domingo Siazon was one of many arriving in Singapore for the ministerial meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, starting today, still waiting to hear.