Prepare to be let down

AS Sino-British negotiations teeter on the brink of collapse, some of us are bracing ourselves for disappointment and anger resulting from a massive backdown by the British Government.

Next week Mr Patten will go to London for meetings with Prime Minister John Major and Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd. While the Hong Kong people are repeatedly fed propaganda about an imminent breakdown in the talks, my worry is the Chinese side may offer some meagre last-minute concession which will be hungrily and gratefully accepted by the British.

Experience has shown that even if the Chinese were to make concessions, that would only happen at the last moment. The question that then arises is how the British Government would respond.

Judging from the Governor's dramatic climbdown on electoral arrangements revealed last month and the to-ing and fro-ing in the past few weeks, neither side wants the talks to fail. Thus it should not be surprising to find the Chinese throwing a few bones from the negotiating table at the last minute to keep the British from walking away.

One of Beijing's objectives is complete and utter humiliation of Mr Patten. The British side want to show that London will not be bullied by Beijing.

As the Governor put it, the British do not mind bending over backwards to accommodate Beijing. They just do not want to keel over. In a nutshell, the British want a deal with the Chinese which will give London face. If this means sacrificing the long-term interests of the Hong Kong people, so be it.