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helpful role. What sort of routine liaison and information exchange?
Stress again: the decisions are yours our interest is not to encroach on HKG's economic and financial autonomy but to strengthen it.
Airport
Since the MoU was signed we have not always felt fully in the picture on HKG's approach to the implementation of the ACP projects. But the more we have learnt the more
we have been impressed by the ingenuity you have shown in devising ways of minimising the costs to the Hong Kong taxpayers and the post-1997 commitments which could give the Chinese cause for concern and/or a pretext to press for closer involvement in decision-making. Note HKG now due to pay only 54% of cost, with rest covered by private
sector previously expected 64%.
One other general point: when we understand the tightness of your time constraints, but when Ministers' approval or support is required for papers going to the Chinese, the more time you can give us the better. Of course final drafts often issue only at the last minute, but if we
have seen earlier drafts or have a clear idea of the
underlying approach we can react more quickly to them.
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