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182/1
DF Milton Esq HONG KONG DEPT
FCO
Dear Derek,
MACAU AIRPORT
(2
RE
RECL
K
-
- 1 APK 1977
BRITISH EMBASSY PEKING
28 March 1977
Mr. David
Dim
HKK 182/412/1
-31/5.
1. We have been giving some thought to the issues raised in your
letter HKK 182/412/1 of 6 January to Charles Drace-Francis and the latter's reply of 8 March. Our comments are invited.
2. We find it hard to imagine what advantage the Chinese could possibly see in Leandro's proposal. We would expect them to dis-
like it (though, as you point out, they might prefer it to appea that it was Hong Kong rather than China which was blocking the proposal).
3. In the first place, the establishment of an international air- port at Macau would serve to increase the importance and kudos of that city in a way which they might well find uncongenial. The fact that they seem to seek the preservation of the status quo does not at all imply that they would want to see the colony's inter- national significance increased.
4. Secondly, we have been studying the map and we cannot see how an aircraft would approach an international airport at Macau without over-flying Chinese air space. They are, of course, prepared to tolerate this to s me extent in aircraft movements around Kaitak. But that is Chinese acquiescence in a long-established practice. Chinese agreement to new incursions into their, air space would require from them new concessions which we would expect them to be reluctant to make.
5. Thirdly, even if the Chinese look at this proposal with the longer-term perspective that eventually both Hong Kong and Macau will be re-absorbed into China, we cannot imagine what possible advantage they would see in a new airport at Macau. From the continental view-point, Macau is an isolated and irrelevant spot. They would be much more likely to want to develop Canton than to start again at Macau.
6.
On general grounds, therefore, we would not expect the Chinese to welcome Leandro's proposal. Some confirmation of this can be seen in a recent conversation between Emrys Davies and his "old friend" Liang Shang-yuan, formerly a NCNA man in Hong Kong and now a senior member of Western European Department of the MFA. In the course of a rambling discussion on Hong kong at the Ambassador's
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