CHINA'S Prime Minister, Li Peng, warned yesterday that differences over Hong Kong would continue to adversely affect the overall Sino-British relationship.
Despite the recent agreement to begin drawing up a deal on the financing of the new airport, Mr Li said ''quite substantial'' differences between Britain and China on the question of Hong Kong still remained, adding ''this was not the responsibility of China''.
It was not possible to prevent such differences from affecting the overall Sino-British relationship, including economic and trade ties, he said.
''We hope to see the economic and trade relations with Britain develop but it is not possible to free the overall relationship from the adverse effects of the political relationship between our two countries. But we should do our best to avoid such adverse effects,'' Mr Li said in Beijing.
British Embassy officials in Beijing reacted cautiously to the Prime Minister's comments, saying they were ''not surprised'' by Mr Li's comparatively hardline stance on Hong Kong.
''I think I would have been more surprised if he was all sweetness and light,'' one British diplomat said.