Patten's role diminishes as China and Britain mend fences

Patten's role diminishes as China and Britain mend fences

By Peter Lim

HONG KONG (AFP): Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten has become nothing more than a caretaker in the territory's affairs as Beijing deals directly with London to work for a smooth transition to Chinese rule in 1997, analysts said here.

Although Patten has welcomed Tuesday's agreement to open direct contacts between high-ranking Hong Kong and Chinese officials, the governor has obviously been sidelined, with Beijing preferring to deal directly with London, they said.

The deal was sealed by Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen and his British counterpart Malcolm Rifkind in talks in London.

"The role of the governor will just be as a mere caretaker in the remaining 630 days to the handover," said Germain Lam, associate professor of political science at Hong Kong's City University.

"China wants to exert direct influence and control of Hong Kong through these contacts in order to isolate Patten, whose role will then diminish long before the handover," he said.

The deal established a working relationship between the Hong Kong government and China's Preparatory Working Committee (PWC), set up to prepare the territory's post-1997 administration.

Patten has resisted such a relationship which would undermine Hong Kong's first fully-elected legislature. The elections in September, the most democratic in 150 years of British colonial rule, were seen as the culmination of Patten's governorship.

Hong Kong's key blue-chip Hang Seng Index jumped nearly one percent Tuesday to a year's high of 9,896.81 on news of the agreement.

However, the agreement has angered some legislators, with Martin Lee, chairman of the Democratic Party, accusing the British government of kowtowing to Beijing's demands. Patten has been "absolutely" sidelined, Lee said.

Qian's visit to London was widely seen in the territory as a significant breakthrough in Sino-British relations which were soured some three years ago by Patten's democratic reforms in the run-up to China's takeover in 1997 on June 30, 1997.

"What we have seen is that both sides are creating an atmosphere for cooperation and a mechanism to facilitate direct contacts between Hong Kong and Beijing," said political commentator Joseph Cheng.

"The best thing the governor can do now is to maintain an efficient service of the administration," he said, adding "Hong Kong people will at least be grateful to him."

A Chinese source at the Xinhua news agency branch in Hong Kong, considered China's de facto consulate here, said: "It is up to Patten now whether to cooperate or to create trouble."

"What we need is concrete cooperation from Britain," he said, "It is fruitless to continue arguing over Patten's democratic reforms as China has already taken its stance to dissolve the elected legislature," he said.

Qian reiterated in visits to both New York and London earlier this week that Beijing would discard all British-inspired democratic reforms after retaking Hong Kong.

He said the territory's Legislative Council elections last month had been held unilaterally by the British government without China's consent, and vowed to disband the elected body when China resumes control, cutting deputies' terms in half.

Meanwhile, Patten's administration has agreed to hold a series of "small get-together sessions" in Hong Kong over the next few months, to enable both Hong Kong and Chinese officials to learn more about each other's views.

In the talks in London, Qian and Rifkind also agreed to form a committee to arrange the handover ceremony, which they said would have to be "solemn, grand and decent."