THE refusal of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director, Lu Ping, to meet the Governor is a poignant reminder of the unabating Sino-British cold war which broke out in October 1992 when the British Government made some modest political reform proposals to the Legislative Council.
Mr Lu arrived yesterday for a week-long visit and is understandably pressed for time, give the horde of supplicants clamouring to see him. Whether he meets Mr Patten is of no moment, although some people have criticised his pettiness and downright lack of diplomatic etiquette.
With only three years and two months to go before the Chinese Government takes over Hong Kong, there is growing anxiety among local people that arrangements for a smooth transition are not being put into place. The problem is compounded by the bitter resentment that important decisions about the future are being made without their participation.
In a nutshell, Hong Kong people trust neither the Chinese nor the British governments. They feel exasperated and dismayed by the current impasse and condemn both governments for acting irresponsibly. They also feel impotent because they do not have a say over their own destiny.
Reacting stormily and contemptuously to the British Government's refusal to withdraw the political reform proposals, the Chinese Government set up the so-called Second Stove - the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC), with the twin objectives of undermining the colonial administration and showing off the anointed team of yes-men and yes-women who will help to mastermind the transfer of sovereignty.
As with the appointments system of the colonial government, the PWC appointments were discredited from the start. Few people believe PWC members were appointed because they have the courage to speak the truth. Instead, they were selected because they would say what Beijing wanted to hear. The people Mr Lu chooses to see this week will further underline this point.
Apart from stirring up controversies, cynicism and hostility, the PWC has done little to reinforce the jittery Hong Kong people's confidence.