XN000022-1994-01-07 — Page 5

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1994

TRAINING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS DISCUSSED

IN

REPLY TO PRESS QUESTIONS, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR GORDON SIU, TODAY (FRIDAY) SAID THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN DISCUSSING WITH THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF CHINA THE POSSIBILITY OF SIGNING AN AGREEMENT ON EXCHANGE AND TRAINING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.

"LAST MONTH THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION SENT HIS COUNTERPART A LETTER IN WHICH HE MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN AGREEMENT BEING SIGNED SOMETIME THIS MONTH, BUT THE DETAILS OF THE AGREEMENT, DATES AND WHO WOULD SIGN HAVE NOT BEEN MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY IN THE LETTER, HE SAID.

"

MR SIU SAID NORMALLY THESE TECHNICAL AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED BETWEEN OFFICERS OF THE TWO CIVIL AVIATION ADMINISTRATIONS AND HE EXPECTED THE AGREEMENT ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS' TRAINING WOULD BE SIGNED EITHER BY THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION OR HIS TEAM MEMBERS.

HE ADDED THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF CANCELLING ANY PLANNED TRIP TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT.

IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ON WHETHER HE HAD GONE BACK ON A PROMISE TO GO TO BEIJING ON JANUARY 26 TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT, HE SAID: "I HAVE NOT GIVEN ANY INDICATION ON WHEN I WOULD GO TO CHINA AND CERTAINLY AS FAR AS THE SIGNING OF THE AGREEMENT IS CONCERNED, IT WILL PROBABLY BE BY THE DIRECTOR AND HIS TEAM.

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HE ADDED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN DECIDED WHETHER HE WOULD GO. AND WITNESS THE SIGNING.

MR SIU NOTED THAT ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL CO-OPERATION BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA WAS VERY IMPORTANT AND HONG KONG ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THIS KIND OF CO-OPERATION AND HOPED THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE.

BILL TO LOCALISE CIVIL AVIATION LEGISLATION

* * * * * *

THE CIVIL AVIATION BILL WILL BE INTRODUCED INTO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LATER THIS MONTH.

CIVIL AVIATION IN HONG KONG IS, FOR THE MOST PART, REGULATED BY UK LEGISLATION WHICH HAS BEEN APPLIED TO HONG KONG.

COMPREHENSIVE BODY

"THE BILL IS THE FIRST STEP IN ENACTING A OF LOCAL CIVIL AVIATION LAW, WHICH IS CRUCIAL TO ENSURING THAT HONG KONG MAINTAINS ITS STATUS AS A CENTRE OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL AVIATION AFTER 1997, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.

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/IT PROVIDES