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elsewhere they are vitally interested in the character of the
electoral system to be adopted and the various details of the
constitutional and legal niceties affecting the nascent political
system. As we shall see, the Patten proposals may be said to have
the merit of giving a greater say to the people of Hong Kong in
determining the basis of the "high degree of autonomy" promised
them in the Joint Declaration.
Both the British and the Chinese claim to have special
responsibilities and duties towards the Chinese residents of Hong
Kong. In the course of the negotiations that led up to the Joint
Declaration the Chinese rejected British attempts to include Hong
Kong representation. Dismissing the so-called "three legged
stool" theory as an attempt by the British to "play the public
opinion card", the Chinese argued that they spoke for their
compatriots, the people of Hong Kong. Britain was said to
represent British interests including those of the' Hong Kong
British authorities'. In the Chinese view the British Government
and the Hong Kong British authorities were one and the same.
Consequently, the negotiations were really about the transfer of
sovereignty between two metropolitan powers. In any event the
Chinese side knew the views of their compatriots as these were
collected through The New China News Agency office from students,
workers, newspaper editors, businessmen and public figures; and,
if necessary they could consult more widely
more widely and get further
advice. Accordingly, it was at Chinese insistence that the