TNAG-1738-FCO40-2454-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1988 — Page 19

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(d) The Governor said that our usual practice was

to discuss with the Chinese any changes that we wished to continue beyond 1997. We tried to distinguish clearly between these issues and those in the nature of day-to-day administration, where there was a danger of creeping interference by the Chinese.

Dr. Gomes said that in the past this had been a difficult area in Macau both in the political and economic field. He personally was concerned that by the mid-1990s the Portuguese would still be responsible for Macau but would have little power there;

(e) Dr. Gomes said that the Land Commission had now

met twice. Once again the Portuguese aim had been to try to prevent the Chinese from interfering. They had asked to be informed of each land concession. The Governor said that our Land Commission had worked very well. Good working relationships had been developed, partly through the use of informal discussions. Each year agreement had been reached to exceed the 50 hectares limit. But we only informed the Chinese of the amount of land that would be granted in each sector, not about individual land grants. Dr. Gomes said that the land concession process in Macau was rather less organised. It depended to a considerable extent on industrial initiative and no advance forecasts were made. He thought that this might have prompted the Chinese to take a closer interest in individual concessions;

in advance but

they know of all grants after the

event.

(E)

(g)

Dr. Gomes said that his normal point of contact with the Chinese was with the newly

established NCNA office in Macau. But its Director, Zhou Ding, did not seem to be very active and it took a long time to get replies from him;

Dr. Gomes said that a special team, including a Chinese official from Peking, was working on the planning of the Macau airport. The aim was to start construction by the end of 1988. It was envisaged that there would be different terminals for passengers travelling to China and to Macau. Accordingly the plan for an airport in Zhu Hai had been dropped. The Governor said that it would be necessary to hold discussions between the aviation authorities in Hong Kong and Macau about the use of air space, particularly as we might well be buiding an airport in the west of Hong Kong and as a new airport would also be built in Shenzhen.

x: CS

S (GD)

The

(R.J.F. Hoare )

PS/GH

21.4.88