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MDHIAN 9773
WERE AS MUCH HONG KONG AS UK COMPANIES. ALSO COMPANIES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE WON MANY OF THE LARGER CONTRACTS AWARDED SO FAR WITHOUT THERE BEING ANY ADVERSE COMMENT: CONTRACTS IN HONG KONG ARE AWARDED ON MERIT AND THAT I FULLY BELIEVE THAT ALL CONTRACTS OWN SO FAR BY BRITISH COMPANIES HAD EQUALLY BEEN WON ON MERIT, THAT I HOPED THAT THERE WOULD BE FURTHER BRITISH SUCCESSES ENABLING BRITISH COMPANIES TO CONTRIBUTE TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE AS THEY HAD ITS PAST, AND THAT THERE WERE NO GROUNDS WHATSOEVER FOR SUGGESTING THAT UNDUE FAVOURITISM HAD BEEN SHOWN TO BRITISH COMPANIES.
5. ABOUT TWENTY JOURNALISTS ATTENDED, INCLUDING SOME FROM THE UK PRESS. I PURSUED THE SAME POINTS IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS.
6. THERE MUST BE AN INCREASING DANGER THAT THIS MOUNTING CRITICISM, WHICH IS INVARIABLY ILL-INFORMED AND UNJUSTIFIED, OF THE RATHER MODEST SUCCESSES OF BRITISH COMPANIES IN THE OVERALL AIRPORT PROJECT SO FAR, WILL WORK TO THE DETRIMENT OF BRITISH COMPANIES BIDDING FOR FURTHER CONTRACTS. INDEED THE HEAD OF ONE OF THE LARGEST CONSULTANTS, JOHN DOWNER OF MAUNSELL, WHO I CONSULTED BEFORE DOING THE PRESS CONFERENCE, SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THESE CRITICISMS WOULD VERY LIKELY MEAN THE AWARD OF THE MAIN BRIDGE CONTRACT TO HYUNDAI, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY HAVE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES FOR HONG KONG, SINCE IT WOULD BE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN AWARD THE CONTRACT TO THE LOWEST BID. MY MEETING WITH THE PRESS WAS AIMED AT REDUCING THIS PRESSURE. THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, BLAKE, ALSO MET WITH THE PRESS TODAY AND SPOKE ON SIMILAR LINES IN REBUTTAL OF ANY SUGGESTION THAT FAVOURITISM HAD BEEN SHOWN TO BRITISH COMPANIES. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION, AND ALLEN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY, ARE LIKELY TO ATTEND A LEGCO MEETING ON FRIDAY TO RESPOND TO SIMILAR POINTS LIKELY TO BE RAISED BY ALBERT CHAN AND OTHERS.
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