UNCLASSIFIED
037253 MDLIAN 4436
10.
THE DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, JI PENGFEI, SAID CHINA SUPPORTED THE BUILDING OF A NEW AIRPORT IN HK BUT WAS WORRIED THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO TAKE OVER THE LIABILITY LEFT BY THE AIRPORT PROJECT AFTER 1997.
11.
SIR DAVID FORD SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD WELCOME EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT FROM THE CHINESE FOR PROJECTS WHICH WERE TO THE LONG-TERM BENEFIT OF THE TERRITORY. FINANCIAL SECRETARY SIR PIERS JACOBS SAID THAT EVEN ON FAIRLY CONSERVATIVE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT FUTURE LAND SALES AND INTEREST, THE SAR LAND FUND SHOULD BE WELL OVER DOLLARS 70 BILLION. SECRETARY FOR MONETARY AFFAIRS DAVID NENDICK WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE THE EXCHANGE FUND WAS MEANT TO STABILISE THE LOCAL CURRENCY AND WOULD NOT BE USED TO FINANCE INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS.
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12.
SENIOR LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE SAID THAT HK'S RESERVES COULD BE USED TO BUILD THE NEW AIRPORT BECAUSE THE RESERVES WERE MEANT FOR HK PEOPLE, AND THE BUILDING OF A NEW AIRPORT SHOULD BE AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN THE TERRITORY. STANDARD CHARTERED BANK'S CHIEF ECONOMIST, EDWARD LEUNG, MAINTAINED THAT IT WAS NOT GOOD TO USE THE RESERVES FOR THE AIRPORT. THE HEAD OF THE HK AIR CARGO TERMINAL, ANTHONY CARTER, SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PROJECT GO AHEAD FOR THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF THE AIR CARGO INDUSTRY IN THE TERRITORY. LEGCO MEMBER EDWARD HO SAID THAT SINCE OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES WERE IMPROVING THEIR AIRPORT FACILITIES, HK SHOULD NOT BE SATISFIED WITH KAI TAK AIRPORT.
13.
QUOTING THE DEPUTY CONSUL-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA, G. BATTERSBY, THE MEDIA (6.11) REPORTED THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS INTERESTED IN HK'S LARGE-SCALE INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS BUT THAT IT WOULD FIRST LOOK AT THE RISKS BEFORE MAKING A DECISION WHETHER TO BID FOR THE CONTRACTS.
NATIONALITY
14.
A HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATE ON THE SELECTION POINTS SYSTEM UNDER THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WAS REPORTED (31.10) IN MODERATE COVERAGE. THE DISTRIBUTION OF AN INFORMATION BOOKLET ''A GENERAL GUIDE TO THE BRITISH NATIONALITY SELECTION SCHEME'' WAS WIDELY REPORTED WITH REPORTS NOTING THAT ONLY 20 000 COPIES HAD BEEN PICKED UP ON THE FIRST DAY OF DISTRIBUTION.
15.
SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER YEUNG KAI-YIN WAS QUOTED (3.11) AS SAYING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD SET UP A COMPUTER
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