TNAG-0962-FCO40-1181-Possible-new-airport-for-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 58

CONFIDENTIAL #3

:

-9-

(g) the political argument for an airport

in China is dubious unless there is a

surrender of sovereignty to HMG for a

period beyond 1997, a remote possibility

(see (c) above). For Hong Kong, even the

Government of Hong Kong, simply to

secure a lease of land in China for use

as an airport extending beyond 1997

would do little to guarantee the future

of Hong Kong itself. Much greater

confidence would derive from the

arrangements necessary for an airport

sited in Hong Kong to be viable (paragraph

7 above) Though a major joint project

•

could make for confidence, the field of

air transport is a particularly

difficult one in which to reach agreement.

There is a danger that failure to reach

agreement with China would be extremely

damaging to confidence; or that to

avoid such failure it would be necessary

to make the far reaching concessions

referred to in (c) and (d) above;

(h)

unless completely satisfied as to the

financial security none of the companies

providing services at Kai Tak would be

prepared to invest in new facilities in

China (nor in Chek Lap Kok either).

G.F. 326

CONFIDENTIAL ##