ME.
ΤΟ NOW THAT IS NOT THE QUOTATION THAT YOU REFERRED BACK WHETHER IT IS RIGHT TO APPOINT A HONG KONG CHINESE PERSON AS GOVERNOR, WOULDN'T IS, I THINK, SOMETHING THAT I AM NOT GOING TO ANSWER AND YOU EXPECT ME TO. I AM NOT GOING TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, IN WHOM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE. HE HAS BEEN HERE FOR THREE YEARS;
SPECULATION PURE THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR A CHANGE AND THAT IS FOR THE FUTURE.
A HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: COULD YOU DISCUSS THE PRINCIPLE OF HAVING
OF HONG HONG KONG CHINESE PERSON AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OR GOVERNOR KONG, AS OPPOSED TO A DIPLOMAT SECONDED FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE?
LORD CAITHNESS: WE WANT THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB.
HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY: AND WHO MIGHT
MR OSBORNE: WE'VE EXHAUSTED THE SUBJECT, I THINK, COULD WE
FANNY WONG, SCMP: WELL IF IT'S DEFINITE THAT WE WILL GO AHEAD WIN WITH THE AIRPORT PROJECT, BUT IF AT THE END OF THE DAY WE FAIL TO
RE- THE CHINESE SUPPORT, IS IT LIKELY OR POSSIBLE THAT WE MAY NEED TO SCALE THE PROJECT OR DEFER IT BY A FEW YEARS?
THE
QUITE
LORD CAITHNESS: AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON THE AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT. I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE A VERY DETAILED BE AN BRIEFING AND TO HAVE EXPLAINED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD IMMEDIATE CONCERN TO ME, COMING IN NEW AS I WAS, ABOUT THE LOCATION OF
THE AIRPORT,
TRANSIT SYSTEM. AND THOSE WHO
ABLE. WERE EXPLAINED AS TO EXACTLY WHY IT HAPPENED. SATISFACTORILY
NOW IT IS NATURAL FOR CHINA WITH ITS ONGOING SITUATION AFTER 1997, THAT HAS AN INTEREST IN THIS PROJECT, TO HAVE THOSE SORT OF CONCERNS WHICH ANY LEGITIMATE PERSON WOULD HAVE, ANSWERED. NOW THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE SENT A MESSAGE ΤΟ PEKING ΤΟ ASK THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES TO COME HERE TO SEE ON THE GROUND, TO HAVE ANY OF THEIR QUERIES ANSWERED; SO THAT THEY CAN DISCUSS IT WITH THE CONSULTANTS AND ALL THOSE TNVOLVED. AND AT THAT STAGE, I AM SURE THAT THE PROJECT WILL PROCEED, BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME TO BE A SOUND PROJECT, BUT THOSE ARE DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE. WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE CHINESE RECOGNISE THAT HONG KONG NEEDS A NEW AIRPORT, BUT THOSE DISCUSSIONS, AS I MENTIONED IN ANSWER TO AN EARLIER
THE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAN BE DEALT WITH BY QUESTION,
ON-
GOING RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.
THIS
FANNY WONG: WHAT ROLE CAN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PLAY IN CURRENT DEADLOCK? APPARENTLY THERE'S NO MOVEMENT AT ALL SINCE THE
KONG HONG
GOVERNMENT HAS SUBMITTED THE INFORMATION ΤΟ THE CHINESE SIDE. SO DO YOU THINK, IN ANY WAY, YOU CAN HELP IN THIS PROCESS?
/LORD CAITHNESS:
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