THE Chinese and British negotiating teams have moved into more comfortable surroundings, and seem to be preparing for a drawn-out fight over the political future of Hongkong. Instead of the claustrophobic Villa No 10 used during last week's first round of talks, the Chinese have prepared the more spacious Villa No 15 at the Diaoyutai State Guest House for British Ambassador Sir Robin McLaren and Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Jiang Enzhu. Cramped Villa No 10 had been chosen by the Chinese hosts apparently to drive home their point that the talks were only between Sir Robin and Mr Jiang, so only minimal space was required. Perhaps interpreting the change of venue as a sign that the Chinese were more willing to accommodate his entire team, Sir Robin was eager to pronounce his approval of Villa No 15. ''First impressions are that this one is very good. I am sure we will be very comfortable here, and our talks will go well,'' Sir Robin beamed. All that was lacking were flowers in the middle of the negotiating table, Sir Robin joked as the two sides prepared to get down to business. However, apparently wanting to keep the British sober-minded, Mr Jiang said the villa-hopping had been done simply to accommodate more journalists. Space was so tight last week that only a few journalists were allowed in - leading to a stampede for places by the Hongkong contingent. Although seven seats were positioned on either side of the long, narrow, wooden negotiating table, only those for the two principal negotiators were marked by name cards, again underlining the Chinese insistence that talks are one-on-one, and not team against team, as the British earlier stated. Only Sir Robin and Mr Jiang, along with their translators, had microphones. On either side of the room were three red velour sofa chairs, covered with antimacassars, each with an embroidered cushion for negotiators to rest on, should the talks wear them down. Mr Jiang noted that the room looked out on to a beautiful garden, but the yellowish curtains were tightly drawn. The Chinese were apparently prepared for a hearty debate. Each place was set with a wet towel, four sharp pencils, a pad of paper, a bottle of Cocotier high quality mineral water, a can of coconut drink and a tea cup. While the wood and cream silk panelled room, complete with chandeliers, might have been comfortable and roomy enough for the negotiators, either purposefully or inadvertently, the Chinese seemed to be sending out a message that the British should expect a long fight. Even before they got down to the nitty-gritty, both sides seemed to rule out the possibility of resolving their differences in this session and started chatting about a third round. Mr Jiang said he would be accompanying Foreign Minister Mr Qian Qichen on a trip to Europe from May 2-13. Sir Robin joked that this would give the British side a chance to catch its breath, while Mr Jiang would be working hard. The Ambassador said he hoped the third round would start as soon as Mr Jiang got back to Beijing and unpacked his bags. Both sides appeared cordial during the few minutes during which journalists were allowed to look on.
