UNCLASSIFIED
0 627 MDLIAN 1421 *
SAID THAT EVEN IF CHINA DID NOT RECOGNISE THE BRITISH PASSPORTS ISSUED UNDER THE NATIONALITY SCHEME, HOLDERS OF SUCH PASSPORTS COULD ENTER AND LEAVE THE TERRITORY WITH HK TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, SUCH AS IDENTITY CARDS, SING TAO JIH PAO (1.8) REPORTED. AN FCO SPOKESMAN IN HK, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, DISMISSED SUGGESTIONS FOR REMEDIAL ACTION FOR THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE, THE SUNDAY MORNING POST (5.8) REPORTED. HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE VALUE OF THE PACKAGE WAS DIMINISHED. HE SAID THAT SINCE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT WAS ENSHRINED IN THE JD, HE COULD NOT SEE HOW THE CHINESE WOULD PREVENT BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM LEAVING THE TERRITORY.
AIRPORT PROJECT
5. THE MEDIA (4.8) ACCORDED GOOD COVERAGE TO REMARKS BY TOP GOVERNMENT SOURCES ON THE PLANNED AIRPORT PROJECT, WITH MOST REPORTS PLAYING UP THE POINT THAT THE CHINESE HAD AGREED THAT HK NEEDED A NEW AIRPORT IN THE FUTURE AND THAT THE CHINESE HAD PRIVATELY INDICATED THAT THE SELECTION OF CHEK LAP KOK AS THE SITE FOR THE NEW AIRPORT WAS AN APPROPRIATE ONE. THE SOURCES ALSO SAID THAT IT WOULD TAKE SOMETIME FOR THE CHINESE TO OPENLY EXPRESS ITS SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT. THE SOURCES STRESSED THAT EVEN IF CHINA DID NOT SUPPORT THE PROJECT, HK WOULD GO AHEAD WITH TIT AND THAT IT HAD THE RESOURCES TO FUND THE PROJECT WITHOUT AFFECTING THE RESERVES.
6.
AN NCNA HK VICE-DIRECTOR, ZHANG JUNSHENG, WAS QUOTED BY THE MEDIA (4.8) AS DENYING CLAIMS THAT CHINA HAD PUBLICLY EXPRESSED ITS SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT. HE SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN MANY CONTROVERSIES OVER THE LOCATION, SIZE AND FUNDING OF THE PROJECT AMONG HK PEOPLE AND THAT THE HK GOVERNMENT SHOULD LISTEN TO VIEWS EXPRESSED BY ALL SECTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY ON THE PROJECT. HE ADDED THAT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY HK ON THE PROJECT TO THE CHINESE WAS
INADEQUATE.
FUTURE POLITICAL STRUCTURE
7. THE GOVERNMENT HAD TENTATIVELY MAPPED OUT CHANGES TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCO AND LEGCO, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (3.8) REPORTED. IT WAS PROPOSED THAT EXCO WOULD TRY TO INCLUDE INFLUENTIAL LEGCO MEMBERS. IN CONSIDERATION OF RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE BL, MAJOR CHANGES TO THE BASIC ROLE AND WORKINGS OF EXCO COULD NOT BE INTRODUCED. IT WAS PROPOSED THAT LEGCO SET UP A SYSTEM OF SELECT COMMITTEES TO MONITOR THE GOVERNMENT'S FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES. QUOTING GOVERNMENT SOURCES, THE
2
PAGE UNCLASSIFIED