XN000022-1991-07-04 — Page 10

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1991

I

BELIEVE THE

SO IN SUM, WHAT WE HAVE GOT IS AN AGREEMENT WHICH ENABLES US TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT WITH THE CONFIDENCE AND

THAT WE'VE CERTAINTY

BEEN LOOKING FOR. I REMAIN CONVINCED, AS I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, THAT THIS PROJECT, A NEW AIRPORT, IS SOMETHING WHICH IS OF

KONG, ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF BONG ENABLING US TO EXPAND THE ECONOMY OF HONG KONG, ENABLING US TO COMPETE ΤΟ IN A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE WORLD OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA, AND ENABLING US PAY THE RIGHT SORT OF ROLE - WHAT MOST OF US I THINK WOULD SEE AS THE RIGHT SORT OF ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHERN CHINA AS WELL.

—

NOW, IF I COULD TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

BERNARD FONG (SCMP): SIR, WHEN YOU ANNOUNCED THE AIRPORT PROJECT TWO YEARS AGO YOU SUGGESTED THAT HONG KONG SHOULD HAVE THE AUTONOMY TO MAKE MAJOR DECISIONS BUT I THINK THAT TO SOME OF US THE AGREEMENT REACHED IN BEIJING RECENTLY SEEMS TO BE A CAPITULATION OR RETRENCHMENT OF THAT AUTONOMY THAT YOU WERE SEEKING TWO

WERE SEEKING TWO YEARS AGO. COULD YOU EXPOUND ON THAT PLEASE?

THE GOVERNOR: WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN THIS IS IT ENABLES US TO GET AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT AND PRECISELY DO THAT, TAKE THE SORT OF DECISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE AND TAKE THEM QUICKLY. THE WHOLE OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROJECT, THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME IS THERE, IT'S ACCEPTED THAT THAT WILL GO AHEAD, WE GET AHEAD WITH THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME. THERE ARE, I THINK, SENSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL MATTERS, POINTS WHICH ARE NOT IN THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, SAY, FOR INSTANCE A VERY OBVIOUS ONE, IF WE THOUGHT IT RIGHT TO START BUILDING A SECOND RUNWAY BEFORE 1997, ARRANGEMENTS OF THAT WOULD THEN BE AGREED, AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR DISCUSSION OF THINGS LIKE FRANCHISES THAT SPAN 1997, I THINK THOSE ARE SENSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS.

AGREEMENT FINALLY REACHED AND

ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM) : WHEN WAS AGREEMENT

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL RESPONSE WHEN YOU LEARNED THAT?

THE GOVERNOR: THE AGREEMENT WAS FINALLY REACHED AND INITIALLED ON 30 JUNE. BEFORE THAT OF COURSE I HAD SEEN WHAT WAS COMING AS A DRAFT FORM AND I WAS EXTREMELY PLEASED WHEN I SAW WHAT WAS COMING OUT. I HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR AN AGREEMENT WHICH WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT AND NOW WE'VE GOT IT.

ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM): ONE OTHER POINT. WAS CHINA'S AGREEMENT CONDITIONAL ON MR MAJOR SAYING HE WOULD GO TO PEKING TO MEET LI PENG? DID THAT HELP SMOOTH THINGS ALONG?

THE GOVERNOR: I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT HELPED TO SMOOTH IT ALONG, IT CAME OUT AS PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT THERE WAS AN INVITATION FROM PRIME MINISTER LI PENG TO MR. JOHN MAJOR TO GO TO CHINA; WHAT SORT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT THAT HAD ON DISCUSSIONS I DON'T KNOW.

ADRIAN BROWN (TVAM): BUT DID IT HELP DO YOU THINK?

/THE GOVERNOR

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