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THEIR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG AND THE REGION AND THE SIZE OF THEIR LOCAL OPERATION. IN PRESS COMMENTS THEIR ASIA MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIU, HAS INSISTED THEY ARE PROPERLY QUALIFIED AND WILL BE BRINGING THREE EXPATRIATE STAFF FROM NEW YORK FOR THE JOB. HE WOULD NOT COMMENT ON SUGGESTIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S OVERALL ESTIMATED COST OF HKD127 BILLION COULD BE DOUBLED SAYING THAT THE BANK HAD ONLY JUST BEEN APPOINTED.
FIXED LINK AND THE FRENCH LED GROUP
5. WHEN I CALLED ON HARTLEY, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF BEAZER ASIA ON 31 AUGUST, HE CONFIRMED THAT BEAZER/KIER WERE PART OF THE BOUYGUES/DRAGAGES LED GROUP WHO WERE COMPETING FOR THE FIXED LINK AND OTHER PARTS OF THE PROJECT. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WERE SHUI ON CONE OF THE LARGEST LOCAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES), LEIGHTON AND THROUGH THEM THEIR GERMAN PARENT HOCHTIEF, AMERICAN BRIDGE (NOW TAIWANESE OWNED BUT RETAINING US BRIDGE BUILDING EXPERTISE) AND IMPREGILIO OF ITALY. IF THE GROUP WERE SUCCESSFUL ON THE FIXED LINK, THE KIER/BEAZER SHARE WOULD BE IN THE RANGE OF 15 TO 20 PER CENT. HE SAID THAT IN BIDS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE PROJECT THE GROUP MIGHT WELL BE SMALLER, POSSIBLY ONLY BOUYGUES/DRAGAGES, KIER/BEAZER AND SHUI ON, AND THEIR OWN SHARE MIGHT THEREFORE BE LARGER. HE MADE NO MENTION OF ANY POSSIBILITY OF THE GROUP BEING JOINED BY WIMPEY OR MOWLEM. HE TOO THOUGHT THAT MOST JAPANESE PLAYERS WERE STILL UNCOMMITTED AND SAID THEIR GROUP WERE TALKING ACTIVELY TO C ITOH. BOTH HARTLEY AND HOLLAND, HIS DIRECTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG, TOLD ME THEY WERE INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT BECHTEL'S ROLE AS PROJECT MANAGERS WHICH THEY THOUGHT HARMFUL TO THEMSELVES AND TO OTHER BRITISH INTERESTS. BECHTEL WERE STEADILY EXPANDING THEIR ROLE, WERE PRESSING THE HKG TO BREAK THE PROJECT UP INTO MANY MORE PIECES THAN PREVIOUSLY PLANNED, WHICH WOULD GIVE MORE WORK TO LOCAL COMPANIES AND WOULD PROBABLY RESULT IN BECHTEL BRINGING IN MORE AMERICAN FIRMS WHERE SPECIAL EXPERTISE WAS REQUIRED, AND THAT THE BECHTEL, GREINER, AND NOW MORGAN STANLEY ROLES IN KEY POSITIONS MEANT THAT AN AMERICAN GRIP ON THE PROJECT WAS DEVELOPING, HARTLEY AND HOLLAND SAID THEY ALSO HAD GRAVE DOUBTS
30UT THE FIXED LINK PROPOSAL, SHARING MANY OF GORDON WU'S OBJECTIONS: THEY HOPED THE TENDER WOULD ALLOW ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS (MEANING A DIFFERENT BRIDGE RATHER THAN TUNNEL) BUT BECHTEL WERE PREEMPTING THIS BY PRESSING THE HKG TO SEEK TENDERS ON THE BASIS OF THE MOTT MACDONALD BRIDGE DESIGNS.
6. HOLLAND IS NOW IN THE UK, AND GOES ON TO PARIS FOR A MEETING OF THE GROUP CONVENED BY BOUYGUES. HARTLEY WILL BE IN LONDON FROM
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