PRIME Minister John Major's letter to his Chinese counterpart Li Peng clearly demonstrates just how far Sino-British negotiations have reverted to their pre-Patten track.
For that was precisely how the first dispute over the new airport was resolved two years ago, when Mr Major sent another such letter to the Chinese, which led to former Foreign Affairs Adviser Sir Percy Cradock's secret mission to Beijing.
Similar Prime Ministerial letters helped to break the deadlock during negotiations over the Sino-British Joint Declaration a decade ago by secretly offering major concessions. There will doubtless be fears that this is what Mr Major is threatening to do again in a bid to end the deadlock over the Governor's political reform plans.
Yet, as Britain has repeatedly and publicly pledged, the age of secret deals over Hong Kong is now firmly in the past, and there is no reason yet to suspect that it will happen again.
As our poll today reveals, Hong Kong people overwhelmingly agree there has to be a bottom line, and back Chris Patten's view that ''no agreement is better than a bad agreement'' by more than two to one.
The survey also shows they believe, albeit by a smaller majority, that Britain has been making the concessions at the negotiating table, while Beijing has shown the least sincerity.