A
N
UNCLASSIFIED
006766
MDLIAN 1644
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 2033
OF 26065OZ JUNE 91
pw
BOR
faras 7-8
HKC241/5
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
PM 2616
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUNDUP (20.6 25.6)
SUMMARY
THE MAJOR ISSUES WERE THE AIRPORT PROJECT AND THE BILL OF
RIGHTS.
AIRPORT
2.
EXPRESSING OPTIMISM OVER THE AIRPORT PROJECT, A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HKG BRANCH, ZHENG HUA, TOLD NEWSMEN (21.6) THAT AS LONG AS THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SIDES WERE SINCERE IN THEIR DISCUSSIONS AND TRUSTED EACH OTHER, THE PROBLEM COULD BE SOLVED.
3. THE LEADER OF A DELEGATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF OUTSTANDING YOU PERSONS, ON HIS RETURN FROM A VISIT TO CHINA, QUOTED (21.6) THE DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING, AS SAYING THAT THE HKG WOULD BE INTERFERING IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE SAR GOVERNMENT IN ADVANCE IF IT MADE UNILATERAL DECISIONS ON MAJOR HK MATTERS STRADDLING 1997 WHICH INVOLVED OBLIGATIONS TO THE SAR GOVERNMENT. THE DELEGATION ALSO QUOTED LU PING AS SAYING THAT HE HOPED HK COULD BUILD AN AIRPORT 'LOW IN COST AND HIGH IN EFFICIENCY' AT AN EARLY DATE AND THAT THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SIDES COULD REACH AN AGREEMENT SOON.
4.
BEFORE DEPARTING FOR LONDON THE GOVERNOR WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH BRITISH MINISTERS WOULD NOT JUST CONCENTRATE ON THE DIPLOMATIC IMPASSE OVER THE AIRPORT PROJECT BUT WOULD FOCUS ON HOW TO HANDLE RELATIONS WITH CHINA OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS (21.6).
5.
FORMER SENIOR EXCO MEMBER SIR S Y CHUNG, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CNA (25.6) SAID THE SOLUTION TO THE AIRPORT IMPASSE RESTED ON MUTUAL TRUST BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA AND SHOULD THE DEADLOCK CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS, HK PEOPLE WOULD SUFFER. HIS REMARK THAT ALL HK
1
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