TNAG-2079-FCO40-2959-Hong-Kong-press-coverage-and-reports-1990 — Page 158

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INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUNDUP

SUMMARY

1. NEWS RELATING TO THE FUTURE OF THE TERRITORY DURING THE WEEK

CENTRED ON THE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT PROJECT.

REPLACEMENT AIRPORT PROJECT

2. THE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, JI PENGFEI, TOLD A LOCAL DELEGATION TO PEKING THAT CHINA WAS NOT AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW AIRPORT IN HONG KONG, BUT THAT IT NEEDED MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT BEFORE IT COULD MAKE CLEAR ITS STANCE ON IT, THE MEDIA (13,9) REPORTED. HE HOPED THAT THE BRITISH WOULD SEND EXPERTS TO PEKING TO DISCUSS THE MATTER. COMMENTING ON THE REPORTS, A HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD WELCOME A VISIT TO HONG KONG BY CHINESE EXPERTS TO SEE THE AIRPORT PLANS, VISIT VARIOUS SITES AND HOLD DISCUSSIONS WITH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT EXPERTS, THE MEDIA (16.9) REPORTED. THE HONG KONG STANDARD (18.9) QUOTED INFORMED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT CHINA HAD ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE AN INVITATION FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO SEND A TEAM OF CHINESE EXPERTS TO THE TERRITORY TO STUDY THE PROJECT.

3. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HONG KONG CHINA NEWS SERVICE (15.9) ZHOU NAN SAID THAT THE CHINESE WERE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT THE AIRPORT PROJECT BUT THAT AS THE PROJECT WOULD GO BEYOND 1997 AND INVOLVED HUGE CAPITAL, THE CHINESE COULD NOT BUT BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT IT. THE SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHINESE TEAM ON THE JLG, GUO FENGMIN, WAS QUOTED BY THE MEDIA (13.9) AS SAYING THAT IT WAS UNFAIR TO BLAME THE CHINESE FOR NOT PROMPTLY EXPRESSING ITS VIEWS ON THE PROJECT.

4. QUOTING SOURCES CLOSE TO THE CHINESE SIDE, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (15.9) SAID THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS POSITIVE ABOUT THE NEED FOR A NEW AIRPORT IN HONG KONG AND THAT IT HAD NO OBJECTION TO BUILDING THE AIRPORT IN CHEK LAP KOK. IF

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