GOVERNOR Chris Patten yesterday toughened his stance on constitutional reforms and the multi-billion-dollar airport and Container Terminal Number 9 (CT9) projects, calling on China to take action. Amid intense speculation of a possible breakdown of talks, Mr Patten said Hong Kong would be forced to introduce its own arrangements for the 1994/95 elections if Sino-British negotiators failed to strike a deal. Mr Patten suggested that in that case Britain should not be held responsible, stressing also that China would have some explaining to do if it chose after 1997 to overturn the arrangements installed under a no-deal scenario. His comments come ahead of the crucial round of constitutional talks to be held in Beijing on September 26 to 27. This round will form the basis for the summit between the Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, and his Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen. Noting Chinese officials had said some encouraging things about the airport and the CT9 plan in recent days, Mr Patten said: ''We do have an expression in England that 'action speaks louder than words' and I'm looking forward to those Chinese words beingfollowed up by actions.'' An assistant director of Xinhua (the New China News Agency), Lee Wai-ting, asked whether Mr Patten's remarks meant he was preparing to table his political package to the legislature by October 6, when he is to deliver his second policy address, said: ''We still want to continue the negotiation. If he goes ahead [with his political reform], it should be clear to Hong Kong people who does not want a smooth transition.'' Mr Lee said there was no problem for China to explain to the public after 1997 about overturning a political system installed without agreement. ''Why can't we overturn a political system which is not in line with the Basic Law as China would have resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong by 1997?'' he asked. But Mr Patten said: ''For our part, we're working hard for success in our talks [on the 1994/95 elections] with China.'' He said that he hoped the two sides could reach an agreement which was acceptable to Britain, to China and Hong Kong's six million people. ''If it fails, it won't be for want of trying on our part,'' he said. ''If we don't reach an agreement at the table with China sooner or later, we'll have no option but to go to the Legislative Council, put proposals to them and introduce arrangements ourselves,'' Mr Patten said, although he fell short of giving a timetable. ''I don't think that what we are proposing in the talks represents a huge threat to China. I don't think it represents any threat at all and I rather doubt whether if things happen in that way, the Chinese would feel obliged to turn it [the constitutional arrangements] over in 1997. They have some explaining to do if they did.'' ''What we're talking about . . . is making the existing agreed process of gradual democratisation credible.'' He said he was determined that the final elections here under British rule should be clean elections and not rigged ones. Liberal Party leader Allen Lee Peng-fei warned that it would jeopardise the Sino-British relationship built over several months if Mr Patten tabled his reform package. However, United Democrats vice-chairman Yeung Sum said it would be the only solution if a deal could not be reached until late November. A delegate to the National People's Congress, Lee Chak-tim, warned that it would create a shock in the territory if Britain put forward its own political package before closing the negotiations. Hong Kong Affairs adviser and a member of the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC), Sir Sze-yuen Chung, suggested agreement on the District Boards should be reached first so that the Government could start preparing for the 1994 election.
