CHINA yesterday officially formed the working panel that will set up Hongkong's first post-1997 government, but allowed six months for members to prepare a detailed blueprint before putting the plan into effect.
The delay is seen as a move to allow enough time for Chinese and British negotiators to reach a deal on the 1994/95 electoral arrangements - talks for which enter a critical stage in September.
Officials have said a Sino-British accord will mean China not having to go its own way by setting up a shadow administration or ''second stove''.
The timetable for the 57-member working panel, officially called the Preliminary Working Committee for the Special Administrative Region (SAR) Preparatory Committee, was spelled out by chairman Qian Qichen at its inaugural meeting in Beijing yesterday.
Under the timetable, five sub-groups will meet in the next few months to finalise the agenda before the second plenary session in December.
According to Mr Qian, only after the entire blueprint is approved at the December plenum will work begin next year.
This is despite remarks by Mr Qian and National People's Congress (NPC) chairman Qiao Shi that time to prepare for the handover was running short.