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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993
"THIRD, IF WE DO NOT MAKE THE PROGRESS THAT WE COULD AND SHOULD MAKE, IT WILL BE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND CHINA, ESPECIALLY OUR NEIGHBOURS IN GUANGDONG, WHO SUFFER. I DO NOT WISH ΤΟ SEE THAT. THERE IS NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER FOR PLAYING POLITICS WITH HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS, HE SAID.
ON THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME PROJECTS, THE GOVERNOR SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD PRESSED AHEAD RESOLUTELY WITH THESE PROJECTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WHILE CONTINUING SEEK AN OVERALL AGREEMENT WITH CHINA.
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"AND WE ARE DOING VERY WELL. WORK ON THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME (ACP) IS MOVING FORWARD IN RECORD TIME, WITH ALL THE CONTRACTS LET SO FAR WITHIN BUDGET AND PROGRESSING WELL. IN OTHER WORDS WE ARE PROCEEDING IN TYPICAL HONG KONG FASHION, HE SAID.
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ON THE PRESENT SITUATION OF THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT, HE SAID THE SITE PREPARATION CONTRACT FOR THE NEW AIRPORT ONE OF THE BIGGEST CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS IN THE WORLD WAS WELL UNDER WAY. HONG KONG IS NOW HOME TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST DREDGING FLEET.
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SINCE NOVEMBER LAST YEAR, ABOUT 250 HECTARES OF ISLAND HAVE BEEN FORMED
TAK NEARLY THE SIZE OF KAI HECTARES).
THE AIRPORT AIRPORT (289
ON GOVERNMENT WORKS, HE SAID 28 MAJOR GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS WITHIN THE ACP, WORTH ALMOST $30 BILLION, HAD ALREADY BEEN UNDER
WAY, 81 PER CENT OF THE GOVERNMENT WORKS HAD NOW BEEN FUNDED, AND OF THIS FUNDING 70 PER CENT HAD NOW BEEN CONTRACTUALLY COMMITTED.
AMONGST THESE PROJECTS IS THE CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TSING MA BRIDGE THE WORLD'S LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE CARRYING A RAILWAY AS WELL AS A ROAD.
ONE OF THE MAIN TOWERS FOR THIS BRIDGE IS CLOSE TO ITS FINAL 200 METRE HEIGHT AS TALL AS A CENTRAL SKYSCRAPER.
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ALL THE KEY CONTRACTS FOR THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY, THE SECTIONS OF ROUTE 3 LINKING NORTH KOWLOON WITH THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING, AND THE WEST KOWLOON EXPRESSWAY HAVE ALSO BEEN LET.
ON THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING, HE SAID THE FRANCHISE FOR THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING HAD BEEN GRANTED AND WORK ON CONSTRUCTING THE TUNNEL WAS UNDER WAY.
AS FOR THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, HE SAID DETAILED DESIGN, ROUTE PROTECTION AND OTHER ADVANCE WORKS WERE UNDER WAY, ALTHOUGH CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT RAILWAY WOULD NOT START UNTIL WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT ON ITS FINANCING.
"WE HAVE TAKEN THE PRAGMATIC OPTION OF DOING WHAT WE CAN ΤΟ BUILD THE AIRPORT, AS I SAID LAST YEAR, 'NOT FOR BRITAIN, BUT FOR HONG KONG AND SOUTHERN CHINA'.
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