CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
RJT McLaren Esq CMG Political Adviser Government Secretariat HONG KONG
MKK 182|!
201
Telephone 01- 233-3134
No
Your reference
Our reference
19.E
13/3 PG03/3
CR 32/581/73
Date
15 January 1982
Dean Robin,
CHEK LAP KOK REPLACEMENT AIRPORT
1.
нки
HKI 182/1
22
1981
BUGH weeks
199
ار ماها
It is some time since we heard anything about the new airport apart from the draft reply to Sir Anthony Royle's PQ in Hong Kong Telegram No 1084. There are two aspects that particularly interest us: the possible Deep Bay site and finance for the project.
nited Pap
رامه
See +kk 306/1 HAH306/1
2.
On the former, it would be helpful to know how the study is developing and a map showing the actual size under consideration would be useful.
3.
1982.
See 13
HICK 18211
As far as finance is concerned, has any further thought been given to approaching the Chinese for participation in the loan financing of the project? I realise that we have not yet really got off the ground with the technical talks with the CAAC, but we have previously agreed that we would at some stage need to give the Chinese an opportunity to take part in the project. As I said in my letter of 30 September 1980 to the Governor, we will obviously have to consider timing very carefully but I would be grateful for some idea of present thinking. We appreciate the point the Governor made in his letter of 11 September 1980 that this matter of the new airport is bound up with the bigger issue of the future of Hong Kong. Clearly the most satisfactory outcome would be to get a clear picture of Chinese ideas on the future before moving on the airport. (LA) 198 However the timing may not work out that way. It might therefore be useful to consider whether some form of Chinese participation in a new airport in the New Territories would in itself help to keep confidence going. It would also be worth seeing whether the airport project might be mentioned to the Chinese by the Prime Minister, at least as an example of the sort of major project which makes an understanding on the land lease question very desirable.
Hier 182/1
сс
Уми
M W Atkinson Esq MBE PEKING
Disk
R D Clift
Hong Kong and General Department
1980
CONFIDENTIAL