CHINA and Britain remained deadlocked over the key principle of whether the 1994/95 electoral arrangements should dovetail with the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and previous accords reached between the two sides, it was revealed yesterday.
Sources said both sides still did not see eye-to-eye over the basic principle at the first round of Sino-British political reform talks which ended in Beijing last week.
A source said it would be difficult to go into the nitty-gritty of the 1994/5 electoral arrangements if the two sides were still poles apart over principles.
The New China News Agency (NCNA) last night hinted that the two sides were divided on whether the ''three accords'' should become the basis for talks.
''People believe that all existing problems and differences can be solved if the two sides stick to the three principles. Otherwise, there's nothing that can be discussed,'' the NCNA said.
''Although [we] are yet to know the results of the talks, people hope that the talks are conducted on the basis of the three principles,'' it said in a signed article, which was carefully-worded to avoid breaching the confidentiality rule of the talks.
The agency said the ''degree of difficulty of the negotiations'' should not be under-estimated.