TNAG-1630-FCO40-2246-Visits-by-Hong-Kong-Government-officials-to-China--the-UK-an-1987 — Page 90

7.5

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7.4.7 Thus follow-up contact through regular liaison meetings between Hong Kong and Guangdong-Shenzhen officials at

the Working level would still need to be pursued.

Strategic and General Points

7.5.1 At the present time, when Hong Kong is commissioning important strategic studies relating to its airport, port anc transport infrastructure, all of which will

result in very heavy investment in the next decade and

beyond, it is clearly important to obtain the best

information available from the Chinese authorities and

to keep it up to date. As indicated in the foregoing

reports on the different sectors, none of the

information gathered suggests the need for change in the direction of planning other than perlaps an acceleration

in the Chira-related transport links. It did however

confirm the urgent need for the information which will

derive from the Port and Airport Development Study; in

particular it confirmed the view Government cannot delay beyond the end of 1988 the basic decision as to whether

it should procecu incrementally on the development of

the container port after Terminal 7 (i.e. through

Stonecutter Island or Tsing Yi) or should open up

terminals in forth Lantau and Ma Wan.

7.5.2

During

discussions it WES clear that the Chinese

authorities work under the supposition that the Fong

Kong Government can do anything which China wishes it to and generally should do so. The visit was very valuable

in demonstrating that Hong Kong too has problems of

In particular, the visit afforded an

resources.

opportunity

to

demonstrate

that

infrastructural

improvements to help China would be very expensive, and

that we had an extreme shortage of land in the vicinity

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