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sovereignty the role of Martin Lee and his associates is seen at
the very least as irresponsible. More than one British official
who no longer exercise active responsibility for the negotiations
have described them as "mad, quite mad." Others complain of the
fecklessness of Hong Kong politicians who encourage the British
to take a stand against the Chinese side only to turn on them
when the going gets rough by accusing them of being needlessly
confrontational with the Chinese. The irritation on the British
side is understandable perhaps as the negotiators carry out their
rather thankless and bruising task. But the perspectives of the
politicians of Hong Kong must also be understood. The British
have suddenly thrust politics onto them giving them less than
thirteen years to organize themselves and develop a political
system from scratch under continual threat from the huge dragon
to the north when they are required at the same time to act
"responsibly" without being given responsibilities or allowed a
presence at the negotiating table that where the fate of their
people is being determined. These pressures have produced a
rather feverish atmosphere in which there is much posturing and
manoeuvring as the diverse interests and politicians vie for
attention and advancement.
The Politics of the Negotiations in China and Britain
Curiously, in neither Britain nor China have the Hong Kong
negotiations been handled at a senior political level on a
regular basis. Arguably this has had more serious consequences