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062506
MDHIAN 8263
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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1655
OF 241251Z MAY 91
HKB 182/4
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
AIRPORT TALKS: PRESS REPORTS: 24 MAY
SUMMARY
1. TODAY (24 MAY) THE PRESS IS DOMINATED BY REPORTING ON THE AIRPORT TALKS. COMMENTS BY BURNS, CHEN ZUO'ER AND CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN WU JIANMIN CARRIED WIDELY. SIGNS OF BACKGROUND BRIEFING BY THE CHINESE. EDITORIALS IN WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG PAO
AMONGST OTHERS.
DETAIL
2. ALL MAJOR PAPERS REPORTED IN DETAIL ON THE CONCLUSION OF THE AIRPORT TALKS, INCLUDING BURNS' PRESS STATEMENTS IN PEKING AND AT KAI TAK AIRPORT. CHEN ZUO'ER'S PRESS BRIEFING, DESCRIBING THE CHINESE DRAFT AGREEMENT AS QUOTE POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE UNQUOTE, WAS WIDELY COVERED, WITH A FULL TRANSCRIPT IN TA KUNG PAO. CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN WU JIANMIN WAS ALSO WIDELY QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE HAD ADOPTED A POSITIVE
AND CO-OPERATIVE ATTITUDE AND HAD MADE THEIR BEST EFFORTS TO REACH AN AGREEMENT SO THAT THE AIRPORT COULD PROCEED EARLY. THE CHINESE HAD PUT FORWARD A POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DRAFT AGREEMENT FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE BRITISH. BOTH SIDES WOULD MAINTAIN CONTACTS.
3. A NUMBER OF REPORTS SUGGESTED THAT THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN BRIEFING THE MEDIA. ATV QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE HOPED TO EXAMINE ALL IMPORTANT ISSUES STRADDLING 1997 BY MEANS OF A MECHANISM SIMILAR TO THE LAND COMMISSION. THE BRITISH BELIEVED THAT SUCH A MECHANISM MIGHT NOT/NOT BE ADEQUATE. THE CHINESE FELT THAT BRITAIN DID NOT/NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN CHINA AND THAT THE BRITISH HAD NOT/NOT PUT FORWARD ANY NEW IDEAS RELATED TO FUNDING IN THE LATEST ROUND.
4. WEN WEI PO REPORTED FROM PEKING THAT THE CHINESE HAD TWO BROAD PRINCIPLES ON THE QUESTION OF THE AIRPORT. FIRSTLY, ANY MATTERS STRADDLING 1997 SHOULD BE DISCUSSED BY BOTH SIDES. SECONDLY, THE FUTURE SARG SHOULD BE LEFT IN A SOUND FINANCIAL POSITION. TIN TIN
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