UNCLASSIFIED
HKA 182/5
PARS / PRESS
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050101 MDHIAN 0055
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 22093OZ FCO
TELNO 2373
OF 220818Z SEPTEMBER 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
TOP COPY Q DIST?
MIPT: NEW AIRPORT: TEXT OF MY STATEMENT AFTER EXCO MEETING
GOVERNOR: GOOD MORNING. WE'VE HAD A FAIRLY SHORT MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. BUT WE DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE END OF OUR MEETING TO DISCUSS THE LATEST SITUATION ON THE FINANCING OF THE AIRPORT AND ASSOCIATED PROJECTS. I THINK THERE IS SOME SURPRISE, CERTAINLY ON MY PART AND PERHAPS ON THE PART OF MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL, ABOUT THE LATEST TURN OF EVENTS.
LET MY TELL YOU EXACTLY WHY. FIRST OF ALL WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS IS TO RESPOND AS POSITIVELY AS WE COULD TO THE CHINESE PROPOSALS THAT WERE PUT FORWARD ON THE 9TH SEPTEMBER. I HAVE TO EMPHASISE THAT POINT. THEY WERE CHINESE PROPOSALS, FIRST OF ALL, CHINESE PROPOSALS CONVEYED IN A BRIEFING ON AN AIRCRAFT FROM URUMQI, WHO KNOWS BY WHOM, SECONDLY, PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD AT THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE OFFICIALLY BY OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES. WE TRIED TO BUILD AS POSITIVELY AS WE COULD ON THOSE PROPOSALS IN THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE LAST WEEK. NOW IT'S PERFECTLY TRUE THAT WE'VE NOT HAD YET AN OFFICIAL REACTION FROM OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES. AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE WILL HAVE AN OFFICIAL
REACTION WHICH IS POSITIVE AND ENABLES US TO MAKE FURTHER PROGRESS. BUT I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE SURPRISED BY THE REACTION OF ONE OR TWO NEWSPAPERS WHICH CUSTOMARILY SEEM TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF PEKING. AND I HAVE BEEN SURPRISED BY THE REPORTED REMARKS OF ANOTHER CHINESE SENIOR SOURCE TODAY, BECAUSE ALL THAT SUGGESTS TO ME THAT SOME ONE IS PERHAPS TUNING ON THE WRONG WAVE LENGTH, I REPEAT. WE RESPONDED TO CHINESE PROPOSALS. WE'VE DONE SO WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS AND IN GOOD FAITH. AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN
PROCEED IN THAT WAY.
SECONDLY, PERHAPS THERE IS ROOM FOR A LITTLE SURPRISE THAT WE STILL KEEP HEARING A SLOGAN ABOUT COST EFFECTIVENESS. OF COURSE, WE ALL WANT A COST EFFECTIVE SERIES OF PROJECTS, JUST AS WE WANTED A COST EFFECTIVE TUNNEL ACROSS THE HARBOUR, JUST AS WE WANTED COST EFFECTIVE PROJECTS ELSEWHERE IN HONG KONG, AND SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN SHOWING COST EFFECTIVENESS AT EVERY TURN ON THIS PROJECT. WHAT WE DON'T WANT IS A SECOND HAND AIRPORT. WHAT WE
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