RESTRICTED
HKB 182 14
157
142675 MDHIAN 0780
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1889
OF 121044Z JUNE 91
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
B
AIRPORT TALKS: PRESS REPORTS 12 JUNE 1991.
SUMMARY
1. LENGTHY COMMENTS BY LU PING. AGGRESSIVE EDITORIAL IN WEN WEI
PO.
DETAIL
2. TODAY'S PRESS (12 JUNE) REPORTS COMMENTS MADE YESTERDAY BY LU PING TO A VISITING DELEGATION FROM THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG PAO CARRIED THE COMMENTS AT
IF GREAT LENGTH. LU SAID THAT KAI TAK WOULD RAPIDLY BE SATURATED. HONG KONG WAS TO MAINTAIN ITS POSITION AS AN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL CENTRE, IT NEEDED TO HAVE A NEW AIRPORT. THIS SHOULD BE BUILT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
3. CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD COMMON INTERESTS OVER THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG. AS LONG AS BOTH SIDES HAD MUTUAL TRUST, THE DIFFICULTIES WHICH HAD COME TO LIGHT DURING THE AIRPORT TALKS COULD BE RESOLVED. LU WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT SUCH DIFFICULTIES HAD EMERGED. BUT IF THE TWO SIDES MADE EFFORTS THE DIFFERENCES COULD BE NARROWED. HE ALSO REPEATED OTHER FAMILIAR POINTS THE TALKS SHOULD BE MORE TRANSPARENT: PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION COULD BE INCREASED: BRITISH BACKSLIDING: CHINA WOULD NOT/NOT DERIVE ANY ADVANTAGE FROM HKG BECOMING A LAME DUCK ADMINISTRATION.
4. WEN WEI PO CARRIED AN EDITORIAL ENTITLED QUOTE ONLY THROUGH MUTUAL TRUST CAN THE AIRPORT PROBLEM BE SOLVED UNQUOTE. IT DREW ON LU PING'S COMMENTS TO THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND SAID THAT SINCE THE AIRPORT TALKS, HONG KONG PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW THE TRUE SITUATION AND THE REASONS WHY AGREEMENT HAD NOT/NOT BEEN REACHED. MANY HONG KONG PEOPLE HAD GOT THE INCORRECT IMPRESSION THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD BEEN DELAYING THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT. THIS WAS NOT TRUE. THE CHINESE WERE SINCERE IN WISHING TO SEE THE PROJECT LAUNCHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS. BUILDING AN AIRPORT EARLY WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF THE SAR. CHINESE OFFICIALS HAD NOT/NOT MENTIONED
1
PAGE RESTRICTED