LOCAL people are less confident of China's ability to handle the territory's change of sovereignty following the visit by the Director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Lu Ping.
According to an Asian Commercial Research survey sponsored by the South China Morning Post, the number of people who felt less confident in China handling the transition was almost double those who felt moreer 45 per cent had no opinion on the matter.
People cited Mr Lu's behaviour and the failure of Britain and China to talk to each other as the major reasons for their drop in confidence.
The poll also revealed that Mr Lu's refusal to meet Governor Chris Patten tarnished his image among the people of Hong Kong.
Just over 36 per cent of respondents said Mr Lu's actions had lessened their opinion on him, while only 6.5 per cent said the visit had improved their perception of Mr Lu. About half the respondents said the visit had not changed their opinion on him.
In response to whether Mr Lu's highly publicised visit would undermine the Governor's authority in the territory, 53 per cent of respondents said it had no effect, while 27 per cent agreed that it had. Six per cent said the Governor had gained in authority as a result of the visit.