UNCLASSIFIED
FM CANBERRA
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 493
i
OF 050425Z JULY 91
UNCLASSIFIED
ние 18216
08 JUL 1991
TOP COPY Q DIST?
OFFICER
INDEX
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041424 MDHIAN 4178
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG, PEKING, ACTOR INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, TOKYO, WELLINGTON, OTTAWA, MANILA INFO PRIORITY KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, UKMIS NEW YORK
MIPT: HONG KONG AIRPORT AGREEMENT
1.
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF STATEMENT BY AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, ISSUED IN CANBERRA ON 5 JULY:
BEGINS
HONG KONG AIRPORT AGREEMENT
THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, SENATOR GARETH EVANS, TODAY WELCOMED THE ANNOUNCEMENT LAST NIGHT BY THE PRC AND UK GOVERNMENTS THAT AGREEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED ON MUTUALLY SATISFACTORY TERMS ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW AIRPORT IN HONG KONG AND THAT PRIME MINISTER JOHN MAJOR WOULD SHORTLY VISIT BEIJING TO SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON THE AIRPORT ISSUE.
''I SEE THIS AS A POSITIVE STEP WHICH WILL GREATLY ENHANCE THE PROSPECTS FOR SMOOTH TRANSITION OF HONG KONG TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997,'' SENATOR EVANS SAID.
SENATOR EVANS SAID THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY RAISED WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER CONCERNS THAT THE CONTINUING
DEADLOCK BETWEEN THE BRITISH/HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS AND CHINA ON THE CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT PROJECT COULD HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON HONG
KONG'S FUTURE.
ALL THE PARTIES RECOGNISED THE NEED FOR A NEW AIRPORT. THE EXISTING AIRPORT WILL SOON BE INADEQUATE FOR HONG KONG'S NEEDS. THE EARLY COMPLETION OF A SECOND AIRPORT WILL STRENGTHEN THE BASIS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY,'' HE SAID.
SENATOR EVANS HOPED THAT RESOLUTION OF THE AIRPORT PROBLEM WOULD HELP REMOVE OTHER IRRITANTS BETWEEN THE PARTIES AND WOULD BOLSTER CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE.
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