CHINESE premier Mr Li Peng criticised the British Government for raising obstacles to the smooth transition and continued prosperity of Hongkong and urged London to change its stance on political reform.
China's latest attack coincided with a message of optimism from the Governor, Mr Chris Patten.
In his first Lunar New Year message to the public, Mr Patten said he was hopeful of resolving arrangements for the 1995 elections ''that are clean, fair and acceptable''.
But the Governor did not elaborate on how the diplomatic impasse between Britain and China over Hongkong's constitutional reform in 1995 would be resolved.
On the stormy relationship with China of the past six months, Mr Patten said: ''We are engaged in a historic enterprise - an enterprise that is entirely without precedent in recent history.'' In Beijing, Mr Li insisted that the only way for Britain to resolve the problem was to ''change its course and return to the correct track''.
Addressing a gathering to mark the spring festival, Mr Li stressed that it was Beijing's firm principle to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity and realise the peaceful reunification of China according to the policy of ''one country, twosystems''.