HONGKONG could still be handed over to China in a strong and wealthy state even if Britain had to go it alone on the territory's constitutional reform plan, Governor Chris Patten said yesterday.
Mr Patten made the remarks only hours after Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd concluded his whirlwind visit to Beijing, where he and Beijing leaders agreed to speed up talks for a smooth transition of the political structure.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Mr Patten said the British side was prepared to see negotiations involving some give and take.
''But you can't give away principles. What you can do is negotiate for different routes to achieve them,'' he said on the first anniversary of his governorship.
His packed programme yesterday began at a 7.30 am breakfast with friends, meeting Mr Hurd during a three-hour stopover, and finished at 2.30 am this morning after observing an operation to catch illegal immigrants trying to cross the border.
When asked if Hongkong could still continue to prosper even if Britain had to go its own way on political reforms, Mr Patten said: ''Absolutely right.'' Although tangible results on the constitutional talks had yet to emerge from Mr Hurd's meetings with Chinese leaders, including Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, he had arranged to meet Mr Qian again in New York in September to review progress.