CONFIDENTIAL
May 1992
Private Secretary
10 Downing Street
HONG KONG: AWARD OF THE BRIDGE CONTRACT
However, it has nor gonew the lowest bidder. This has been Лит acknowledged
The Hy kog formal Who have explained that Hyundai were moll
mable
to meet they Hrything Com requirements on capital, which as designed to move that the company does not n short of funds before
→ Completed
the contrit
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The Hong Kong Government/will be announcing at 0500 BST on 7 May that the Anglo-Japanese consortium
(Trafalgar House, Costain and Mitsui) have won the contract to build the Tsing Ma bridge. The contract is
worth about £0 million, with a UK content of about £250
million). The Governor has informed us in strict confidence of this decision.
550
As agreed, I enclose a form of words which the Prime Minister might use at Questions in the House on 7 May, or
at another opportunity that day.
This/contract will rightly be seen here as a major success for British industry. But the Hong Kong
Some Government are likely to face a barrage of criticism, in Hong Kong and from the losers in this competition, that they have handed the contract to the British-led
consortium out of favouritism. It would therefore be very helpful to the Hong Kong Government if the Prime Minister could refer to the fact that this contract was
won in a fair fight, on its merits.
I am copying this letter to
Private Secretary
DTI.