G.F. 82
File No.
CONFIDENTIAL
NOTE FOR FILE
Page
Governor's Visit to Australia
8 to 15 May 1991
Meeting with Dr John Hewson, MP, Leader of the Opposition and
Senator Robert Hill, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs on 13 May 1991
At the Governor's meeting with Dr John Hewson, and Senator Robert Hill on 13 May the following points were made :-
MP
(a) The Governor said that he had just postponed his visit to New Zealand because talks with the Chinese on the airport project were about
He said
Chinese concerns that financing
project were
(b)
(c)
(a)
to resume.
about
the
understandable but could be addressed. Hong
had fiscal Kong
reserves of HK$70 billion. The Land Fund was considerable and getting bigger all the time. The Exchange Fund was
large and very
the Chinese knew these figures. The major sticking
sticking point was the Chinese demand for a greater degree of involvement than made practical or political Hong Kong badly needed an airport but the Government's ability to administer Hong Kong was crucial.
sense.
Senator Hill asked whether the Chinese had a hidden agenda. The Governor said that it had
increasingly become
clear during the last round of talks. The Chinese wished to become involved in decision-taking on issues which straddled 1997. There were different views about the transition.
The
The first asylum The very unpopular.
Governor said that Vietnamese arrivals now averaged over 70 a day. policy was domestically first direct elections to LegCo in the Autumn made the situation particularly difficult. He said that Hong Kong appreciated Australia's practical help over the issue.
The
Governor said that confidence in Hong Kong had picked up considerably since June 1989. There was unease about arrangements for the future but the economy was still very strong.
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