RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2356
OF 190342Z SEPTEMBER 92
TOP COPY
DIST? HKA 182/5
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
043250 MDHIAN 9760
6
AIRPORT FINANCING: PRESS AND MEDIA COVERAGE
SUMMARY
1. THE LEFT WING PRESS HAS BEEN QUICK TO LABEL OUR RESPONSE TO THE CHINESE SIDE'S QUOTE SUBSTANTIVE IDEAS UNQUOTE AS INADEQUATE. REPORTING IN THE MAINSTREAM PRESS/MEDIA HAS BEEN REASONABLY BALANCED, AND MUCH OF IT POSITIVE, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONFUSION ON IMPORTANT ISSUES. WE ARE MAKING A MAJOR EFFORT TO CORRECT MISCONCEPTIONS AND TO REINFORCE OUR MESSAGE.
DETAIL
2.
THE PRC'S DISCOMFORT AT HAVING ITS ''SUBSTANTIVE IDEAS'' TURNED INTO FIRM PROPOSALS CAN BE GAUGED BY THE FACT THAT ON 18 SEPTEMBER THE LEFT WING PRESS CARRIED TWO EDITORIALS AND THREE COMMENTARIES CONDEMNING OUR RESPONSE IN THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE. THE NEWS COVERAGE IN WEN WEI PAO AND TA KUNG PAO FOCUSED EXCLUSIVELY ON REMARKS MADE BY OUR CRITICS IN THE AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE AND OTHERS WHO COULD BE RELIED UPON TO TOE THE PARTY LINE. IN ESSENCE, THE PARTY LINE IS THAT THE BRITISH RESPONSE IS INADEQUATE BECAUSE:
(A) IT DOES NOT ADDRESS CHINESE CONCERNS ABOUT COST
EFFECTIVENESS:
(B) IT AMOUNTS TO PLUNDERING THE RESERVES OF THE SAR: AND
(C) THE BRITISH SIDE'S PROPOSALS ARE, TO QUOTE WEN WEI PAO, INSINCERE AND UNCONSTRUCTIVE.
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3 FOR EXAMPLE, WEN WEI PAO ARGUED THAT THE BRITISH PROPOSAL AMOUNTED TO AN UNREASONABLE USE OF THE FUTURE SAR'S RESERVES AND REGRETTED THAT QUOTE THE BRITISH SIDE, INSTEAD OF STRIVING TO REDUCE COSTS AND IMPROVE THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RAILWAY, HAD ATTEMPTED TO FINANCE THE AIRPORT WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE RIGHTLY THE SAR'S. THIS IS NOT IN LINE WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE MOU UNQUOTE. A COMMENTARY IN TA KUNG PAO TOOK A SIMILAR LINE, AND
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