UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 592
OF 26100OZ FEBRUARY 91
UNCLASSIFIED
MAB 30/1 Маз
TOP COPY
Q DIST? 18
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKMIS GENEVA, UKREP JLG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK
INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN FRANCISCO
102442 MDLIAN 1236
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE : WEEKLY ROUNDUP
SUMMARY
1. THE THIRD ROUND OF EXPERT TALKS ON THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT PROJECT WAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED. OTHER ISSUES RELATING TO HK'S FUTURE AND THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WERE MODERATELY REPORTED.
AIRPORT
2. THE MEDIA NOTED THAT THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS FOCUSED ON THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS, THE STRUCTURE OF THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND THE SETTING UP OF A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE. MOST REPORTS SAID THAT BOTH SIDES STILL HELD DIFFERENT VIEWS REGARDING THE FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AND THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE TERRITORY. LEADER OF THE CHINESE TEAM LUO JIAHUAN SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD A GENUINE DESIRE TO INCREASE THE TRANSPARENCY OF HK'S VARIOUS LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS BECAUSE THE INVESTMENT WOULD BE BORNE BY HK TAXPAYERS. LEADER OF THE HK TEAM HAMISH MACLEOD SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE DISCUSSIONS WHEN LU PING VISIT HK.
3. THE SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHINESE TEAM ON THE JLG, GUO FENGMIN, WAS QUOTED IN TA KUNG PAO (23.2) AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE HOPED THAT A NON-GOVERNMENT AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE, COMPRISING PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE HK COMMUNITY, WOULD BE SET UP TO COLLECT PUBLIC VIEWS AND THAT CHANNELS SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE CHINESE TO UNDERSTAND PROGRESS AND DECISIONS ON THE PROJECT. MEMBER OF THE CHINESE EXPERT TEAM ZHOU MU SAID THAT THE PROPOSAL FOR SETTING UP A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON THE AIRPORT PROJECT WAS A GOOD ONE AND THAT BOTH THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER IT. HE ADDED THAT THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE AN ADVISORY BODY WITH NO DECISION-MAKING POWER. FINANCIAL SECRETARY SIR PIERS JACOBS SAID THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY DUPLICATION OF WORK BETWEEN THE
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