UNCLASSIFIED
3300
MDLIAN 6136)
GIVEN BY THE PROJECTS WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR HONG KONG INTERESTS.
4. THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY, HONG KONG BRANCH, ZHOU NAN, SAID THAT THE STANDS OF THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS ON CERTAIN ISSUES WERE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER AND THAT BOTH SIDES HAD AGREED TO IRON OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES. HE REITERATED THAT CHINA HAD NO INTENTION OF INTERFERING WITH HONG
KONG'S ADMINISTRATION BEFORE 1997 BUT THAT CHINA HAD A
RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT IMPORTANT MATTERS WHICH STRADDLED 1997 AND WHICH REQUIRED THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT TO SHOULDER OBLIGATIONS.
AIRPORT
5. LU PING SAID (31.2 REPORTS) THAT IF HONG KONG PROVIDED MORE INFORMATION ON THE AIRPORT PROJECT TO THE CHINESE, IT WOULD HELP THEM TO MAKE A DECISION AFTER THE THIRD ROUND OF EXPERT TALKS. A MEMBER OF A POK OI HOSPITAL DELEGATION TO CHINA, SIU YIM-KWAN, SAID THAT LU PING'S ONLY CONCERN WAS THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS.
6. ATV-HOME (1.2) QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE PINNED HIGH HOPES ON THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS AND HOPED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD CO-OPERATE WITH THEM WITH SINCERITY. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE CHINESE HAD EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT HONG KONG WOULD NOT AWARD ANY MORE AIRPORT WORKS CONTRACTS IN THE MEANTIME WHILE ADOPTING AN UNDERSTANDING ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S GRANTING OF A 300 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT FOR THE FIRST CIVIL WORKS PROJECT BEFORE THE TALKS. QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, R-1 AND SOME PAPERS (2.2) REPORTED THAT THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WOULD DISCUSS AMONG OTHER THINGS THE SETTING UP OF A CONSULTATIVE BODY IN HONG KONG TO COLLECT PEOPLE'S VIEWS. QUOTING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SOURCES, SOME REPORTS (2.2) NOTED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD SUBMIT A PAPER CONTAINING NEW INFORMATION ON THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS AND VARIOUS OPTIONS ON THE SCALE OF THE AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION TO THE CHINESE SIDE TO FACILITATE THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS. THE EXPRESS (4.2) SAID THAT AGREEMENT HAD BEEN REACHED THAT THE AIRPORT TALKS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA WOULD FROM NOW ON BE KEPT SECRET AND THAT HONG KONG REPORTERS MIGHT BE BARRED FROM COVERING THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS IN PEKING. IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT AIRPORT WORKS WHICH WERE NOT ESSENTIAL IN NATURE WOULD NOT REQUIRE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE. MANY PAPERS (30.1) QUOTED A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN AS CONFIRMING THAT THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY HAD SENT A CONSORTIUM LED BY KUMAGAI GUMI, A LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR PROPOSALS FOR THE
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