Hong Kong Governor Presses Reform Plan, Irks China

A year-old conflict between Britain and China over reform of Hong Kong’s legislature escalated Thursday after Gov. Chris Patten’s announcement that he will push ahead with reform legislation, with or without China’s agreement.

In a special session of the British colony’s Legislative Council, Patten said he will introduce a partial electoral reform bill Dec. 15. It is to contain the least contentious parts of his plan to broaden democracy in Hong Kong before China assumes control in 1997.

China, which repeatedly has warned against such a unilateral move, responded with a statement that introduction of the bill will mean an end to negotiations with Britain on Hong Kong’s future.

Patten said he hopes the talks will continue, so that the two sides can resolve their differences on the most controversial reform proposals for the 1994 municipal and 1995 legislative elections. Those elections will be Hong Kong’s last before it reverts to Chinese control.

Hong Kong legislators had mixed reactions to the governor’s announcement. Some said Patten had little choice but to move forward with a partial reform bill. Others said he should have pressed ahead with his original October proposals for widening democracy in Hong Kong.

Britain’s decision to act unilaterally on the less complex issues follows 17 rounds of fruitless talks on the reforms since April. The bill involves lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, abolishing appointed seats on various municipal and district boards and abolishing multi-seat constituencies.