18
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1991
A:
GOVERNOR: LET ME TAKE THE SECOND OF THOSE FIRST WHILE IT IS IN MY MIND. PHASING IS NOT EXACTLY THE SAME AS SCALING DOWN. PHASING IS SOMETHING WHICH WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LOOKING AT, BECAUSE LET US SAY YOU HAVE AN ULTIMATE PLAN FOR AN AIRPORT: LET US SAY FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE, THAT YOU HAVE AN ULTIMATE PLAN FOR A TWO RUNWAY AIRPORT OPERATING 24 HOURS A DAY CONNECTED BY A ROAD SYSTEM CONNECTED BY A RAIL SYSTEM. YOU DO NOT QUITE OBVIOUSLY GO RIGHT INTO THE WHOLE OF THAT ON DAY 1, TWO RUNWAYS. YOU HAVE TO PHASE THAT. YOU CAN ALSO PHASE OTHER PARTS OF THAT PROGRAMME WITHOUT SCALING DOWN THE FINAL SCHEME. IF ONE TRIED TO SCALE DOWN, HAVE AS IT WERE A SMALLER AIRPORT ON THE CHEAP, YOU VERY QUICKLY GET TO THE POINT WHERE THERE IS
NO POINT IN REPLACING ΚΑΙ ΤΑΚ. SO, IN TRYING TO PLAN FOR A FUTURE AIRPORT, IT ONLY MAKES SENSE IF YOU ARE PLANNING FOR SOMETHING WHICH WILL BE MUCH BIGGER LONG TERM, MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE LONG TERM, MUCH MORE ECONOMIC LONG TERM, THAN KAI TAK IS NOW. OTHERWISE, YOU ARE NOT PLANNING FOR DEVELOPMENT. HOW YOU PHASE THE PARTICULAR ELEMENTS OF THAT MAKES A GREAT DEAL OF DIFFERENCE TO THE CASH FLOW OF THE PROJECT ITSELF AND YOU HAVE GOT THE OPTIONS BETWEEN SPENDING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF CASH UP FRONT OR DELAYING THE EXPENDITURE BUT FINDING THAT WHEN YOU MAKE THAT EXPENDITURE AFTER HOW MANY YEARS THAT IT IS COSTING YOU A CERTAIN AMOUNT MORE. THERE ARE ALWAYS THESE OPTIONS.
THE OTHER QUESTION. IF WE ARE TALKING TO THE CHINESE AND EXPLAINING TO THEM WHAT WE ARE DOING, I SEE PART OF THAT PROCESS AS BEING A WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAVE GOT TO SAY. THERE IS NO POINT IN TALKING TO SOMEBODY IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO LISTEN ΤΟ WHAT THEY SAY IN RESPONSE AND, AS NECESSARY, IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF VIEWS IF THEY SEEM IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT TO THE DECISIONS WE ARE TAKING. BUT IT WILL ALSO BE IMPORTANT THAT DECISIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN HERE IN HONG KONG ABOUT HONG KONG MATTERS.
0:
BUT WHAT DOES THAT DO IF CHINA IS SEEN TO HAVE INFLUENCE ON THE CONFIDENCE OF A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY AFTER 1997?
/A: GOVERNOR:
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