MR BLAKE: IT IS A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT THAT WAS THE SHORTFALL THAT THEY WERE ASKED TO MAKE GOOD. NOW FOR A GROUP THE
IZE OF THE HYUNDAI GROUP, IN PERCENTAGE TERMS I THINK YOU ARE PROBABLY IN A BETTER POSITION THAN I AM TO SAY WHETHER IT IS A LOT OR NOT, BUT CERTAINLY IT WAS THE RESULT OF THE CALCULATION THAT WAS MADE KNOWN TO THEM AND THEY WERE ASKED TO MAKE GOOD.
Q: I WONDER IF I COULD REPEAT A QUESTION AND GET MORE TRANSPARENCY ON IT THIS TIME. CAN YOU TELL US, PLEASE, APPROXIMATELY WHAT PROPORTION OF PADS PROJECTS SO FAR AWARDED HAVE GONE TO BRITISH-LINKED COMPANIES? MR YEUNG: I THINK MR BLAKE HAS ALREADY JUST ANSWERED THAT QUESTION. CERTAINLY, TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION AS CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTRAL TENDER BOARD, AND I SEE AND SEE AND DEAL WITH IN THE CENTRAL TENDER BOARD THE MAJORITY OF WORKS CONTRACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, I CANNOT RECOLLECT A SINGLE MAJOR WORKS CONTRACT HAVING EVER GONE TO A BRITISH ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. NOW WE HAVEN'T GOT VERY FAR YET WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WORKS LIKE THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY, THE WEST-KOWLOON RECLAMATION PROJECTS, AND CERTAIN BUILDING PROJECTS WE HAVEN'T GOT VERY FAR YET, THOUGH I CAN'T RECALL A SINGLE BRITISH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY HAVING EVER WON.
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MR BLAKE: IF I CAN JUST ADD, FROM MEMORY, THE WEST-KOWLOON, WE HAVE GOT THREE MAJOR CONTRACTS IN HAND AT THE MOMENT DREDGING CONTRACTS. ONE OF THESE HAS GONE TO GAMMON WHICH IS BASICALLY A HONG KONG COMPANY ALTHOUGH THERE IS A HOLDING OF TRAFALGAR HOUSE IN GAMMON. ONE OF THEM HAS GONE TO KUMIGAI-GUMI WHICH OF COURSE IS OF JAPANESE ORIGIN BUT THIS IS KUMIGAI-GUMI HONG KONG, AND THE THIRD HAS GONE TO A CONSORTIUM WHICH IS LED BY SHUI ON WHICH IS AGAIN A HONG KONG COMPANY. ALTHOUGH WITHIN ALL OF THOSE CONSORTIA THERE ARE VERY STRONG EUROPEAN ELEMENTS, PARTICULARLY ON THE DREDGING SIDE. WE HAVE RECENTLY
AWARDED A CONTRACT AT TUNG CHUNG ON THE MARINE SIDE, WHICH HAS GONE TO CHINA HARBOUR CONSTRUCTOR WHICH IS A PRC CONTRACTOR. BASICALLY, OF THOSE A.C.T. CONTRACTS AWARDED TO DATE THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO BRITISH CONTRACTOR PRESENCE.
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Q: IT WAS CANDID ENOUGH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S MUCH CONCERN ABOUT HYUNDAI'S WORKING CAPITAL. EVEN THOUGH HYUNDAI HAS SOME PROBLEMS, RECENTLY THEY GOT THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT AND ALSO THEY SENT A LETTER OF INTENTION TO THE THAI GOVERNMENT - AND NOW IT IS WORKING IN THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT. DO YOU THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND THOSE GOVERNMENT OFFICERS HAVE NEGLECTED THEIR JOBS WHAT ARE THEIR CONCERNS? MAYBE HYUNDAI WILL DROP OR DEPART TOMORROW? WHAT IS YOUR THEW THE OTHER GOVERNMENTS HAVE NEGLECTED THEIR JOBS LIKE NOT YOUR GOVERNMENT OFFICERS?
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MR YEUNG: THIS IS A QUESTION WHERE I HAVE WARNED YOU EARLIER I MAY HAVE TO BE LESS THAN FORTHCOMING.
I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR ANY ONE OF US SITTING HERE TO COMMENT ON THE DECISIONS OF OTHER GOVERNMENTS. THEY HAVE THEIR PROJECTS AND THEIR RULES, WE HAVE OURS.
MR BLAKE: YES, I THINK THE POINT IS THAT HYUNDAI WERE MADE AWARE FROM AUGUST LAST YEAR, OF THEIR PROBLEM. THEY UNDERSTAND THE RULES JUST AS WELL AS ALL OF THE OTHER CONTRACTORS, SO I DON'T THINK, IN THE CONTEXT OF HONG KONG, THERE CAN BE ANY MISUNDERSTANDING ON THE PART OF
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