LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuter) - Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen arrives in London on Sunday for a visit which Britain hopes will cement a better atmosphere between the two countries over the future of Hong Kong.

With the British colony due to be handed over to Beijing in under two years' time, British government sources said there were still key areas of uncertainty about the government of the territory after the transition.

But they said Qian's visit, the first by such a senior Chinese statesman for three years, reflects a steady recent improvement in relations between the two countries.

"We don't expect to announce some new earth-shattering agreement during this visit. Our efforts will be more towards confirming the positive nature of the atmosphere which is now current," one British source said.

Qian will meet Prime Minister John Major on Tuesday before holding talks with Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind.

During his stay, he will also meet top British businessmen and Bank of England governor Eddie George before flying to Edinburgh for a programme including a visit to a whisky distillery.

Britain and China have been negotiating for years to ensure a smooth handover of Hong Kong in June 1997.

This year has seen key accords on the setting up of a Court of Final Appeal to replace Britain's Privy Council and on borrowing by the Hong Kong government to finance a new airport.

But unresolved issues include whether China will scrap Hong Kong's Legislative Council (Legco), a third of whose members were last month elected directly for the first time, and replace it with an alternative legislature.

Britain hopes to persuade China that such a move would imperil the international confidence on which Hong Kong's prosperity and trade depend.

But China may have difficulty accepting a legislature which following the elections contains some of the colony's most high profile advocates of Western-style democracy.

The appointment of a chief executive to replace Britain's governor, Chris Patten, is also an important one as the choice could also affect confidence, the sources said.

British sources said ministers will also raise human rights and bilateral trade issues with Qian, and discuss the future of the United Nations, where the two nations are permanent members of the Security Council.