UNCLASSIFIED
110321 MDLIAN 8355
9. BARONESS DUNN SAID THAT AS THE OBJECTIVE OF A SCHEDULED VISIT BY OMELCO MEMBERS TO GUANGDONG WAS TO IMPROVE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ECONOMIES IN BOTH TERRITORIES AND THE VISIT WOULD GO AHEAD, ALTHOUGH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD REFUSED TO ALLOW THEM TO VISIT IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY. MARTIN LEE, HOWEVER, MAINTAINED THAT THE REAL MEANING OF THE TRIP WOULD BE LOST AND THAT IT SHOULD BE CANCELLED. A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH, ZHENG HUA, SAID THAT IT WAS UNNECESSARY FOR OMELCO MEMBERS TO GO IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY AND THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF RECOGNITION AT ALL.
NPC DELEGATES
10. A LOCAL DELEGATE TO THE NPC, CHENG YIU-TONG, SAID THAT LOCAL NPC DELEGATES HAD ASKED THE NPC TO CLARIFY AND DEFINE THEIR ROLE IN THE TRANSITION SO THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD NOT FEEL THAT
THEY REPRESENTED ANOTHER CENTRE OF POWER.
AIRPORT
11. SIR DAVID FORD WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IN THE US THAT THE NEW AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK WOULD BE A KEY STRATEGIC DECISION FOR HONG KONG'S LONG-TERM PLANNING AND THAT AMERICAN INTEREST IN THE PROJECT WAS WELCOME. THE SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY, HAMISH MACLEOD, SAID THAT THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND THE MTRC WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIABILITY OF THE AIRPORT AND THAT WHEN THE AIRPORT WAS AT THE PEAK OF ITS CONSTRUCTION, IT MIGHT LEAD TO A DEFICIT BUDGET WHICH MIGHT NECESSITATE THE US OF HONG KONG'S, RESERVES, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL REPORTED.
12. THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION SAID THAT THE AIRPORT PROJECT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG, NOTING THAT THE ASSOCIATION HAD WRITTEN TO THE CHINESE PREMIER, LI PENG, URGING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO DECLARE ITS SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT. THE NEW HONG KONG ALLIANCE, CRITICISED THE GOVERNMENT FOR MAKING UNILATERAL DECISIONS ON MATTERS OF GRAVE IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG DURING THE TRANSITION. FOURTEEN COMMUNITY GROUPS, INCLUDING STUDENT GROUPS, LABOUR UNIONS AND OFFICES OF DB MEMBERS, PETITIONED THE OMELCO, EXPRESSING THEIR WORRIES ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT ON THE PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD. GORDON WU SAID THE MAJOR CONTROVERSY BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA WAS OVER THE COST OF THE PROJECT, AND THAT HE WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN FURTHER DISCUSSIONS ON NOR INVEST IN THE PROJECT. HE FELT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD INVEST IN THE MACAU AIRPORT SO THAT HONG KONG COULD HAVE A THIRD RUNWAY.
PAGE 3 UNCLASSIFIED