37
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067420 MDHIAN 8574
MKB 182/2
TOP COPY Q DIST?
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO
1697
OF 281055Z MAY 91
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
AIRPORT TALKS: PRESS REPORTS, 28 MAY
SUMMARY
1. AIRPORT PUSHED OFF THE FRONT PAGES BY LAUDA AIR CRASH AND MFN. BUT AS PREDICTED IN MY TELNO 1685, AND EDITORIAL IN WEN WEI PO ATTACKING THE BRITISH SIDE FOR SPREADING RUMOURS ABOUT THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT.
DETAIL
2. WEN WEI PO CARRIED AN EDITORIAL TODAY (26 MAY) SAYING THAT
DURING THE AIRPORT TALKS THE BRITISH HAD REPEATEDLY SPREAD RUMOURS ABOUT SHELVING THE AIRPORT PROJECT. YESTERDAY SUCH RUMOURS CAUSED THE HANG SENG INDEX TO FALL 130 POINTS. REMARKS AND COMMENTS THAT INTERFERE WITH, AND WERE OPPOSED TO, SINO- BRITISH CO-OPERATION, WOULD NOT BENEFIT HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AND WERE NOT IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.
3. BECAUSE OF HONG KONG'S SPECIAL GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION, IT HANDLED MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THE MAINLAND'S TRADE AND HAD DEVELOPED QUICKLY INTO A TRADE AND FINANCE CENTRE. ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE MAINLAND WERE CLOSER AND CLOSER. BECAUSE OF THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HONG KONG AND THE MAINLAND NEEDED TO CO-OPERATE MORE CLOSELY. THE LAST THREE GOVERNORS HAD ALL EMPHASISED GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE MAINLAND.
AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE JD SUCH CO-OPERATION HAD ENTERED A NEW STAGE. THE TWO SIDES NEEDED TO CONSULT AND CO-OPERATE HAD ENTERED A NEW STAGE. THE TWO SIDES NEEDED TO CONSULT AND CO-OPERATE, FIRSTLY TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD: AND SECONDLY, TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF POLITICAL POWER.
4. THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD ONLY REMAIN IN POWER UNTIL JUNE 30 1997. THERE WERE THEREFORE MANY THINGS THAT THEY COULD NOT/NOT DO ALONE. IF THERE WAS NO CONSULTATION, NOT/NOT ONLY WOULD INVESTORS NOT/NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE BUT EVEN HONG KONG CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD BE CONFUSED. WHERE MATTERS HAD BEEN DISCUSSED, SOLUTIONS HAD BEEN
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