He indicated the man who had opened the conference.

‘Under the personal control and organisation of my son, I intend to provide perhaps the best education in the world for students of any nationality.’

He made a deprecatory gesture with his hands.

‘There are some of you who may already know a little about me,’ he said, pausing for the laughter that came from the room and smiling with it. ‘Those that do will be aware of the steadfast conviction and belief that I have advanced whenever possible… a conviction and belief that the free, democratic world is growing increasingly blind to the dangers of communism…’

He sipped from his water glass.

‘I believe there is a need for that warning to be repeated, over and over again, until people at last begin to take proper notice. So upon the University of Freedom I will provide something more than a superior education. Every undergraduate, no matter what subject he reads, will compulsorily attend daily lectures at which will be fully debated and explained the dangers of the evil, pernicious regime which exists upon the mainland of China…’

Lu rose for the first time, waving his hands to quell the clamour.

‘A pernicious regime,’ he repeated, the hiss in his voice more obvious because he had to shout, ‘which, because of its growing acceptance by the free world, endangers the very existence of democracy.’

Lu remained standing, very aware of his stance and the sound of the cameras recording it, refusing any questions. At last the sound died.

‘The University of Freedom will be permanently anchored off a small island in the Hong Kong archipelago,’ he enlarged. ‘We will be less than five miles from the Chinese mainland, a constant and visible reminder to Peking of the truth it tries so hard to suppress…’

Lu sat, nodding to his son. It took fifteen minutes to achieve adherence to the system of questioning upon which Lu insisted, receiving queries first from the American section and then from the European press. Two hours had been set aside for the conference, but it overran by a further two, so that the liner had to slow and finally turn back in a meandering arc upon itself to enable the helicopters to get away, just before nightfall.