It was a lie that only Deng could take HK back. China could have

anytime, it is never an issue.  UK decided to give it up  right after 1949.  It was Mao found that HK was the last hole in US's embargo, decided to postpone the taking. However, this was not know to UK. UK was very much grateful, and UK became the first Western nation that established diplomatic relation with China in 1956, and it became a full diplomatic right after Nixon's visit in 1972 ) which was a bomb shell and blow to USA. UK ignored USA because China and UK had a deal about HK.

It was really a lie to Chinese people that it was a difficult situation and Deng made it possible. The truth was  China and UK had started this talk in 1980, and it was smooth and no problem until UK's priminister suddenly asked for an unrealistic bargain ( If Mao was alive, UK would not have the guts to mention it). That  was UK wanted to maintain the administration after HK Returned to China. UK thought China started "open policy", it may get more than what they could have get. It was obviously a notion that UK would never insist. And it was proved that UK immediately forgot about it after was rejected by Huang Hua. Deng repeated the China's lonstanding position that the soverignty issue of HK wasnon negiatioable and it was never an issue.

Deng thoguht  that taking back HK ( the treaty was expiring) would make him looks great, and used JI's mistake ( Ji did not reject UK's request, that " no Chinese army in HK after 1997", he said China would think it over). Deng used this mistake to brush Huang Hua aside, used Zhou Nan and the other two ( 3-people-group)  as the negotiators who directly reported to Deng. And Deng made himself the only person can speak on HK issue.

People did not know that Ji Dengkui had been out of his job since 1982, and Deng used  Ji's mistake in 1982 to  fire Huang Hua who did great job in 1984 . It proved deng was really a big lier:)

I have a close relative who worked on HK issue since 1955.