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151035 MDLIAN 6233
32. SOME PAPERS (3.4) NOTED THAT THE HONG KONG AFFAIRS ADVISERS FROM THE BUSINESS SECTOR, INCLUDING LI KA-SHING, CHENG YU-TUNG LEE SHAU-KEE AND HARI HARILELA HAD APPEALED TO THE CHINESE LEADERS TO HELP RELEASE THE BRAKES ON THE VAST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS PLANNED FOR THE TERRITORY. THEY ALSO ISSUED A JOINT STATEMENT TO URGE LU PING AND ZHOU NAN TO SEPARATE ECONOMICS FROM POLITICS.
33. A FEW PAPERS (6.4) SAID THAT HONG KONG AFFAIRS ADVISERS WERE DIVIDED ON WHETHER HUANGTIAN COULD REPLACE CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT. WONG PO YAN AND STEPHEN CHEUNG COMMENTED THAT HUANGTIAN COULD IN NO WAY REPLACE CHEK LAP KOK. BUT ANOTHER ADVISER T S LO FELT THAT IT WAS WORTHWHILE TO STUDY THE EXPANSION OF HUANGTIAN FOR USE BY THE FUTURE SAR. WAH KIU YAT PO QUOTED A FCO SPOKESMAN AS DECLINING TO COMMENT ON WHETHER THE USE OF HUANGTIAN TO REPLACE CHEK LAP KOK WOULD BREACH THE MOU. LU PING WAS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID THAT IF THE PROPOSAL WERE TO WORK THE MANAGEMENT OF HUANGTIAN SHOULD BE HANDED OVER TO THE HONG KONG PEOPLE. ACCORDING TO THE EXPRESS (5. 4) LU REPEATED FOUR TIMES THAT THE IDEA OF HONG KONG TO MANAGE HUANGTIAN WAS JUST A THOUGHT WITHOUT DETAILS. HE SAID THAT THE PROPOSAL WAS STILL BEING EXAMINED AND RESTATED THE CHINESE POSITION OF SUPPORTING THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT AND ABIDING STRICTLY BY THE MOU.
34.
HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (7.4) QUOTED THE PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR BOB WILSON, AS SAYING THAT ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY MADE TWO PROPOSALS ON THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE NEW AIRPORT, IT WAS CURRENTLY STUDYING ANTHER PROPOSAL WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A CAPITAL INJECTION OF BETWEEN HONG KONG DOLLARS 16-42 BILLION.
JLG
35.
MING PAO (2.4) QUOTED BRITISH SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THEY HAD ASKED THE CHINESE SIDE FOR A DATE TO REOPEN THE JLG BUT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT YET RESPONDED. THE SOURCES SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE THEREFORE DOUBTED THE SINCERITY OF THE CHINESE SIDE TO RESTORE CO-OPERATION.
LAND COMMISSION
36. HKMAO FIRST DEPARTMENT HEAD CHEN ZUOER WAS QUOTED (3.4) AS SAYING THAT IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME FOR THE LAND COMMISSION TO HOLD ITS MEETINGS.
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