UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2745
OF 210442Z NOVEMBER 92
UNCLASSIFIED
нис
HKC 012/4
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
834
073510 MDLIAN 6935
ра Ch. reacting
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
PART ONE OF TWO
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (14.11 21.11)
SUMMARY
1. CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS AND THE NEW AIRPORT CONTINUED TO FEATURE.
AIRPORT
2. AN NCNA HK BRANCH DESPATCH ON THE AIRPORT WAS PROMINENTLY NOTED (14.11) IT SAID THE BRITISH HK AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES ARISING FROM ANY UNILATERAL DECISION TO PRESS AHEAD WITH THE CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT SITE FORMATION CONTRACT WITHOUT FIRST SECURING AN OVERALL FINANCIAL AGREEMENT WITH CHINA. A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE JLG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING ONE CONSEQUENCE MIGHT BE THE FRANCHISES FOR HANDLING AIR CARGO AND FUEL AT THE AIRPORT WOULD NOT BE HONOURED BEYOND JULY
1997.
3. REPORTS NOTED (14.11) THE GOVERNMENT REACTED PROMPTLY. A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN WAS NOTED AS SAYING THAT HKG WAS EXAMINING WAYS OF MOVING AHEAD WITH THE PROJECT WITH A STEP BY STEP APPROACH WHICH ENABLED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS OBLIGATION UNDER THE MOU IN A PRACTICAL AND REALISTIC WAY. THE FIRST SUCH STEP WOULD BE A DECISION ON THE AIRPORT SITE PREPARATION CONTRACT, WHICH THE CHINESE SIDE SUGGESTED IN JULY THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FINANCE DIRECTLY IN ADVANCE OF AN OVERALL AGREEMENT ON FINANCIAL PACKAGES FOR THE AIRPORT AND THE AIRPORT RAILWAY. THIS WAS NOT A
'GO IT ALONE OPTION. HKG WAS KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN FOR AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE SIDE WHICH WAS THE FIRST PRIORITY.
4.
IT WAS NOTED (14.11) THAT ACCORDING TO THE CHINA WATCHING MAGAZINE 'CONTEMPORARY', CHINA HAD A CONTINGENCY PLAN TO BUILD TWO RUNWAYS AT THE SHENZHEN AIRPORT FOR HK BOUND PASSENGERS IF
1
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