XN000022-1990-10-17 — Page 22

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1990

20

GOVERNOR STARTS BUSY PARIS PROGRAMME

FIRST THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SPENT HIS PARIS (WBDNESDAY) WITH A BUSY ROUND OF OFFICIAL CALLS AND ENGAGEMENT AT THE FRANCE-HONG KONG BUSINESS ASSOCIATION.

TRADE, JEAN-MARIE

FULL

DAY A SPEAKING

IN

WITH HIS DAY STARTED AT 8 AM

A BREAKFAST MEETING WITH THE FRENCH MINISTER FOR FOREIGN

RAUSCH DURING WHICH TALKS FOCUSSED ON THE GROWING FRENCH BUSINESS PRESENCE IN HONG KONG AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER INVOLVEMENT, PARTICULARLY IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS RELATED TO THE NEW AIRPORT.

SIR DAVID ALSO HELD WIDE-RANGING TALKS WITH THE INFLUENTIAL

WHEN HE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, LAURENT FABIUS

STRESSED AS CENTRE

WELL AS HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A REGIONAL AND GATEWAY TO CHINA.

FINANCIAL

A

THE GOVERNOR MET A NUMBER OF LEADING POLITICIANS AND THE BUSINESSMEN AT A LUNCH HOSTED BY TONY DREYFUS, STATE SECRETARY TO PRIME MINISTER AND LATER CALLED ON THE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, MADAME EDWIGE AVICE.

ΤΟ IN THE EVENING, SIR DAVID AND LADY WILSON WERE DUE WIDE CROSS SECTION OF PARIS SOCIETY AT A DINNER HOSTED BY THE AMBASSADOR, SIR EWEN FERGUSSON.

MEET A BRITISH

AN OVERFLOW AUDIENCE OP MORE THAN 60 BUSINESSMEN AND INDUSTRIALISTS ATTENDED THE FRANCE-HONG KONG BUSINESS ASSOCIATION ASSURANCES ABOUT FUNCTION, RAISING A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS AND SEEKING HONG KONG'S FUTURE.

THE ON

AIRPORT PROJECT, THE GOVERNOR STRESSED THAT THE

FUTURE DECISION TO GO AHEAD NOW WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE

PROSPERITY OF THE SAR UNDER CHINA'S SOVEREIGNITY, AS WELL AS FOR THAT OF SOUTHERN CHINA. IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE TO LEAVE IT ΤΟ THE SAR GOVERNMENT AFTER 1997 WHEN HONG KONG'S ECONOMY COULD ALREADY HAVE BERN BADLY AFFECTED BY THE DELAY, HE SAID.

SIR

MORE

IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS ABOUT CHINA'S VIEWS ON THE PROJECT, DAVID SAID EXPERTS FROM CHINA WERE NOW IN HONG KONG ΤΟ LEARN ABOUT THE DETAILS AND HE HOPED THEY WOULD TAKE A "BENEVOLENT" ATTITUDE ONCE ALL ASPECTS HAD BREN UNDERSTOOD. THIS WOULD GIVE PARTICIPANTS MORE CONFIDENCE.

HAD ALWAYS

BUT HE POINTED OUT THAT DECISIONS ON SUCH PROJECTS BEEN TAKEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ALONE, WITHOUT ANY NEED FOR PERMISSION FROM BRITAIN. WHILE THERE WOULD BE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PRIVATE INVOLVEMENT AND FINANCING, HONG KONG HAD SUBSTANTIAL RESERVES TO COVER THE COSTS.

/THE GOVERNOR

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