THE role of the Legislative Council in mapping out electoral arrangements for the 1994/95 polls has emerged as a stumbling block to the resumption of talks between China and Britain.
On the Chinese side, a final decision on whether talks should go ahead is expected to come from the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Li Peng, who until yesterday had not given the green light for the move.
Senior Chinese officials including Mr Guo Fengmin, Chinese Joint Liaison Group (JLG) team leader and Mr Zhou Nan, local New China News Agency (NCNA) director, are gathering in Beijing for an internal assessment of their position before responding to the British initiatives for talks.
It is understood the British side prefers that if there are to be talks, the negotiations should be held as early as possible while the Chinese side sees no urgency in pushing for discussions.
A Chinese source said: ''It is high time for the Chinese side to finalise our bargaining posture and bottom line before we come to the negotiating table with the British. We need considerable time to reach a common consensus and then submit the proposal to Li Peng.'' Last night, Chinese Foreign Minister Mr Qian Qichen reiterated that China would not offer any concessions.
In a China News Service despatch, Mr Qian pointed out that the solution to the current row was for Britain to return to the Joint Declaration and the Memorandum of Understanding on the new airport projects.