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order to fulfil its obligations to the people of Hong Kong it may
have to take a stand against unacceptable Chinese demands.
Meanwhile the shadow of uncertainty about politics in Beijing
continues to loom over the territory. It has reached the point
when the timing and the order of the deaths of the remaining so-
called immortals (the few aged founding fathers of Chinese
Communism) could determine the fate of Hong Kong. It is possible
that the worse could happen even though nobody wishes it, but if
the best is to be attained, the British negotiators face more
than four further years of difficult and demanding encounters for
what they must hope will turn out to be a thankless task well
done.
END
Michael Yahuda
Reader in International Relations
London School of Economics and Political Science
7 September 1992
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