CHINA yesterday warned that hopes for a resumption of talks on the airport financing package would inevitably suffer because of Britain's unilateral move to divulge details of the secret talks. In another attack, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) renewed its threat to dismantle all local councils and sack the Legislative Council in 1997 so that fresh elections could be held in accordance with the Basic Law. At its weekly press conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Fuofang said Governor Chris Patten has disrupted the foundation of Sino-British co-operation, adding that would ''inevitably affect the co-operative atmosphere on the airport issue''. He maintained that China would stick to the Memorandum of Understanding on the airport project, but did not elaborate. The escalation of the political row is set to deepen uncertainty over the resumption of airport talks on the fourth financial package proposed by Britain to the Chinese side this month. Mr Shen lambasted the British side for violating the understanding between the two sides by disclosing the contents of talks. The British act ''is against the understanding'', he said. ''The Chinese side cannot but make due reactions.'' He did not say when China would unveil its own version of the 17 rounds. Mr Shen said the Chinese side had only been given a copy of the White Paper on Wednesday. The latest British move, he claimed, ''fully shows that the British side does not have sincerity to solve the question through co-operation with the Chinese side, and it's bent on moving further on this erroneous path''. Mr Shen also picked out the Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Gareth Evans, for meddling in the territory's domestic matters by pledging support for political reform. The British Ambassador to Beijing, Sir Robin McLaren, rejected criticisms that it had violated the confidentiality understanding, stressing Hong Kong people had to be kept informed. The British side had given an ''advanced warning'' to Beijing on its move, he said. In Hong Kong, a local vice-director of Xinhua (the New China News Agency), Zhang Junsheng, attacked the publication move as a plot to ''mislead public opinion''. ''The talks are now completely collapsed,'' he said. In a statement issued hours after the partial bill was passed by the Legislative Council, a HKMAO spokesman said the British side should be held responsible for ruining the talks. Last night, Xinhua said in another commentary that the publication of the document was ''yet another serious step'' taken by the British Government to ''confront China to the end''. ''The deeds of Chris Patten demonstrated one fact: Britain will not easily abandon its 'political reform' because it hinged upon [its strategy] to extend its rule over Hong Kong,'' it said.
