Three people with ties to Hong Kong have been honoured in Queen Elizabeth's New Year Honours List.
Britain's Ambassador to Beijing, Christopher Hum, 56, has been awarded a knighthood. He studied Putonghua in Hong Kong between 1968 and 1970 and headed the Hong Kong Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1986 to 1989.
Sir Christopher said he was delighted by the honour and its effective recognition of the importance of diplomacy in China, but said he would not stand on ceremony.
'I absolutely feel no need to be called anything other than Christopher,' he said.
John Rutherford, 44, who works for Invest Hong Kong, and Christina Noble, 58, the founder of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, were given the Order of the British Empire.
The foundation has helped more than 140,000 children, with programmes providing child sponsorship, homes and schooling.
