1
PS/Lord Caithness
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: R A Burns
DATE: 20 March 1992
CC:
Mr Broadbent, Economic Advisers Mr Ricketts, HKD
FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME
1. This paper seems to be the one described in paras 2-6 of Hong Kong telno 751. We shall be putting together some comments in the course of Monday. On the whole the paper seems to be on the right lines, but we want to make sure that there are no hostages to fortune. In this context we are checking with Hong Kong on the progress of the other paper which they thought they would be putting to ExCo next week, ie the financial support package for the Provisional Airport Authority described in paras 10-12 of Hong Kong telno 751. It is not clear to me why it would be necessary to move so quickly to give the present paper to the Chinese, if the financial support package was not yet ready. The two are clearly closely inter-linked. On the other hand, as the Governor has frequently made clear, we need to press ahead with the clearance process in Hong Kong in order that the actual work on the Airport project should not be delayed. This does mean preparing the ground pretty quickly with the Chinese, and it may not make sense for Hong Kong to delay talking to them until my own visit at the end of the month.
EM6ABC
Andrew Bunn
R A Burns
CONFIDENTIAL