| Abstract | Life in Hong Kong is no longer even punctuated by the squabbles between the Hong Kong government and the representatives of the New China News Agency. The breakdown in political negotiations in November 1993 after 17 useless rounds of talks had doubtless already signalled that the reforms initiated by Patten would not survive beyond 1 July 1997, but the disputes between Hong Kong and Peking remained sharp, and each declaration by the governor attracted its share of irate counters, both from the pro-Chinese press in the territory and the People's Daily on the mainland. For the British government, led by a John Major very close to the Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten was a determining element in relations between London and Peking. Even when the Chinese hardened their tone vis-a-vis London over their hostility to the governor's reform plans, Downing Street stood resolutely on the side of Government House. |
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