NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
HKK 22/5
Defensive
CONFIDENTIAL
Brief No
Secretary of State's Visit to Hong Kong
February, 1972
Fackground
Loon for Kai Tak Airport
htta
~1969
the king Kay. Govt. applied तू Jh a great 12 ani 714
millin from
Colmil
Developer and
as Welfare
Lowend
ཁ་ ཅིག་མ་
Jundr
Mt. Comp 1
to the
whi
سام نسا
فيلا بنا
an
Colin syd
In March 1967 Hong Kong asked for grant
Lowards the cost f
~the summing and botalling £24 million for the extension of Kai
<
Tak Airport, runway. In July 1968 this application
was replaced by one for a loan of £6 million to
of the extension,
cover the full cost as it was then estimated. (In
^ September 1970, the Governor informed us that the
cost had increased to £11 million),
The original ease for financial assistance
was refused by CDM, the Board of Trade and the de
Treasury on the grounds that, as compared with
other applicants, Hong Kong was too wealthy to
warrant assistenee. No formal reply was givén
to Hong Kong but, during a visit there in April
1970, the then Secretary of State said that, in
view of current economic difficulties, the UK had
to watch very carefully any overseas investment.
He did not, however, rule out the possibility
of a contribution and promised the matter would
be reviewed in 1971% In September 1970, the
Governor asked for a definite answer but, during
his visit to Hong Kong in October 1970, Mr Royle
could go po further than to say that the question
was being examined. (The Governor had previously
been told that it was only in the FCO that there
had been any support for his case).
CONFIDENTIAL