15
it
is nevertheless
interesting
that when asked, leading
negotiators on both sides tend to downplay the significance of
perceptions and possible misunderstandings. For example, Anthony
Galsworthy (head of the British side of the Joint Liaison Group)
argues that differences and difficulties stem from conflicts of
interest and the character of the Chinese political system.9
William Ehmann (the Political Adviser to the Governor) also
claims that Ji Pengfei (the former acting Foreign Minister and
former head of the Chinese negotiating team and current member
of the Central Committee Foreign Affairs Leading Group) denied
that anything other than a conflict of interest was involved.
Lu Ping (the Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Office) argued
that the difference between the two sides was that the British
had a "short term interest up until 1997", whereas the Chinese
had a "long term interest in the situation after 1997". These
negotiators may well be right to draw attention to the
differences in Sino-British interests, but these pale into
insignificance in comparison to their common interest in
effecting a smooth transition of sovereignty. Moreover the
possible diversity of interests does not explain the perceptual
differences highlighted above.
11
The Problem of the Structure of the Negotiations
'Interview, Hong Kong 21/7/92
Interview with William Ehman
Énmany,
I, Hong Kong 24/7/92
11Author's interview with Lu Ping 7 August 1992.