3.
CONFIDENTIAL
The Chinese side also told the press the
previous evening that there was deadlock in the talks and
that the Hong Kong side had provided no new material.
4.
Luo told a press
conference later the same afternoon that it was not possible
to hold discussions and at the same time to call for
tenders.
He also said that before the establishment of the
SAR Government, the Chinese Government alone had the right
of representing the interests of the Hong Kong people. The
Chinese called a second press conference on the morning of
13 January at which Chen Zuo'er (of the State Council's
HKMAO) repeated what Luo had said the day before and added
that on all matters which were related to or straddled 1997,
the British Government had no power to take unilateral
decisions.
Redacted Under FOI Exemption Sec 27(1)
MAXAHM/2
CONFIDENTIAL