Structure of Sino-British Negotiations and Chinese Negotiation Strategy

A case study of the Sino-British negotiations on the handover of Hong Kong reveals the following features of the Chinese negotiating strategy: the first is the top-down approach, in which Deng Xiaoping had the final say in the bilateral negotiations; the second is the cohesion of the Chinese team, with officials such as Lu, Ping, Head of HKMAO and Zhou Nan, Director of Xinhua Hong Kong having been in charge of the Sino-British negotiations since the 1980s, creating continuity in policy. By contrast, the cohesion of the British team has been affected by changes in political parties. Third, the Chinese adopted a tit-for-tat strategy when their opponents were confrontational. These features persisted throughout the Sino-British negotiations.