TNAG-1175-FCO40-1477-Proposed-replacement-airport-for-Hong-Kong-at-Deep-Bay-or-Ch-1982 — Page 149

LDX 278/1 LIM 473/01

PEKİNG TL 741

HONG KONG

HKGD/FCO

FED/FCO

GR 340

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM

NFR

FOLLOWING FOR

CONFIDENTIAL

HICK 1/2/1

2

ぶら

CSE

NO

10/3: PhO1013

M W ATKINSON, PEKING

25 FEBRUARY 1982

321

52

•1 MAR 1982

313

M. Much

M. Williamar

I agree with this

reply

We must

R J T MCLAREN, HONG KONG Bre

R D CLIFT, HGGD, FCO

M ELLIOTT, FED, FCO

Cyft 22/3

*

See D

YOUR TELELETTER OF 20 FEBRUARY TO CLIFT: REPLACEMENT AIRPORT

1. WE STRONGLY AGREE WITH THE POLITICAL ARGUMENTS (PARA 10 OF YOUR TELELETTER) AGAINST FURTHER STUDY OF THE DEEP BAY OPTION. AS YOU NOTE, COOPERATION WITH CAAC OVER CONVENING PURELY TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CHEK LAP KOK HAS PROVED DIFFICULT. SUCH SIFFICULTIES PALE INTO INSIGNIFICANCE AGAINST THE LIKELY PROBLEMS OF COOPERATION ON THE MUCH LARGER SCALE REQUIRED FOR DEEP BAY, NOT TO MENTION THE POUNDS, OR RATHER TONS, OF FLESH WHICH CAAC WOULD SEEK TO EXTRACT IN THE PROCESS. AS YOU KNOW CAAC ALREADY CLAIM THAT HONG KONG HAS A ''SPECIAL STATUS. TO HAVE ITS MAIN AIRPORT RIGHT ON THE FRONTIER WOULD MAKE IT DOUBLY SPECIAL, GREATLY LESSEN OUR AVIATION INDEPENDENCE.

AND

2. YOUR POINT 10F IS CRUCIAL. IF THE CHINESE BECAME WEDDED TO THE IDEA OF DEEP BAY, TO DECIDE AGAINST IT WOULD BE TO RUN THE RISK OF DAMAGE TO OUR RELATIONS AT WHAT MIGHT BE A CRITICAL TIME FOR HONG KONG. BETTER TO MAKE A CHOICE BEFORE SUCH A STAGE IS REACHED.

26

3. I WOULD VENTURE ONE FURTHER POINT AGAINST DEEP BAY AND THAT IS THE EFFECT THAT A THREE YEAR DELAY (YOUR PARA 6) MIGHT HAVE ON CONFIDENCE. A DECISION BEFORE 1985 TO PROCEED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE GOOD FOR CONFIDENCE

THE HONG KONG WOULD BE SEEN TO BE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE AND IT WOULD BE KNOWN THAT A CONSIDERABLE DEGREE OF CHINESE COOPERATION HAD

BEEN NECESSARY TO REACH SUCH A DECISION. BY 1985, HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE

COULD BE AT A CRITICAL STAGE AND THE AIRPORT ISSUE COULD HAVE BECOME

VERY MUCH MORE OBVIOUSLY A LITMUS TEST FOR THE MAJOR ISSUE OF THE FUTURE. DIFFICULTIES WITH THE CHINESE OVER DEEP BAY AND A LONG DELAYED DECISION ON A NEW AIRPORT COULD BE VERY DAMAGING, AND WE COULD FIND OURSELVES DEALING FROM A POSITION OF GREAT WEAKNESS.

M W ATKINSON

COPIES HAVE BEEN PASSED TO Hong Kong & FED

NINN

CONFIDENTIAL