Tears before bedtime for party planners; Hong Kong handover

Celebrations often bring out the worst in families. And never more so than when the generations are at daggers drawn and barely speaking to each other. Imagine, therefore, the complexities of organising one of the world's biggest celebrations involving two parties who are every bit as intense in their distrust of each other as cousins who have nursed a grievance for decades.

Yesterday it emerged that Britain and China had reached outline agreement on the invitation list for the pounds 18.5m bash which will mark the end of British colonial rule and China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong on 30 June.

The problems of who will sit next to whom have yet to come. Four thousand of the sparring parties' closest friends will be there; both sides will nominate about 1,500 attendees each and jointly pick some 400 VIPs at foreign-minister level. The balance will be made up by journalists, of which those actually attending the party will be swamped by the estimated 4,000 expected in town to cover it. The BBC alone is sending just under 200 people.

China seems to have secured the upper hand in the great invitation-list wrangle by ensuring that no heads of state or government will attend, thus robbing Britain of the opportunity to stage a more high-level event.

The most senior representatives from the British side will be the Prince of Wales and the new foreign secretary. China is likely to send Qian Qichen, its vice-premier and foreign minister.

The really important Chinese leaders are expected only after the British have left. It is likely that Jiang Zemin, the President and Communist Party leader, may even come on 1 July. And the celebrations planned by China and its local supporters to mark "The Glorious Reunification of the Motherland" will dwarf those of the handover.

Now that an outline guest list is in place and an agreement hasbeen reached on a very simple indoor military parade, Britain and China have to agree on what will be said in the speeches. Expect more acrimony before the party's over.