34
decision and, already, there is a sense on the British side that
the accumulating stock pile is so great that once the obstacle
is cleared decisions will have to be made under great pressure
because of the shortage of time.
Patten's New Approach
Officials in London and Hong Kong claim to have been
surprised by the vehemence of the Chinese response to the Patten
proposals of 7 October 1992. But several aspects about the
proposals and their presentation were new and bound to be
perceived as provocative by the Chinese side as
as they denied
China's leaders the control they thought they had attained:
First, the proposals were advanced in public without prior
consultation with the Chinese authorities; second, they expanded
the democratic element for the next elections in 1995 beyond what
was envisaged in the Basic Law although technically they did
not infringe it; and thirdly, their acceptance was to be
determined by the Legislative Council. It is also central to
Chris Patten's approach that his administration should play no
part in rigging the 1995 elections in advance.
The
uncompromising
response of the Chinese side has
apparently left no room for an
accommodation other than the
withdrawal of the proposals and the complete humiliation of the
Governor which would leave the territory effectively under the
control of the Chinese. Since the Governor has enjoyed the whole