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MDLIAN
FOR HONG KONG AND THE MAINLAND TO STRENGTHEN THEIR CLOSE TIES.
AIRPORT
4. LU PING TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE (13.3 REPORTS) THAT SOME PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE IN HIS TALKS WITH HONG KONG GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON BUT THAT MORE DISCUSSIONS WERE NEEDED IN SOME AREAS. HE REITERATED THAT THE NEW AIRPORT SHOULD BE 'LOW IN INVESTMENT, HIGH IN COST-EFFECTIVENESS', AND THAT AMPLE FISCAL RESERVES SHOULD BE LEFT TO THE SAR GOVERNMENT. THE BASIC LAW HAD STIPULATED THAT THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT WOULD BE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT, THE CENTRAL GOVERN WOULD NOT SPARE A PENNY FOR IT SHOULD THERE BE ANY DEFICIT IN THE BUDGET. THE CHINESE HOPED THAT THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE PADS PROJECTS WOULD BE INCREASED AND THAT ALL INFORMATION ON THESE PROJECTS WOULD BE MADE KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC.
5. THE FCO SPOKESMAN IN HONG KONG, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, WAS QUOTED (16.3) AS SAYING THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD THE FINAL SAY OVER THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT AND THAT THE FACT THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFTEN HELD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED TO MEAN THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS A 'LAME DUCK GOVERNMENT'. HE ADDED THAT IT WAS REASONABLE FOR THE CHINESE SIDE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE FINANCIAL POSITION AFTER 1997. BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG HAD AGREED THAT THE TERRITORY SHOULD HAVE THE FINAL SAY OVER THE NEW AIRPORT. A CHINA NEWS AGENCY DISPATCH WAS QUOTED IN WEN WEI PO (16.3) AS REPORTING THAT MR OSBORNE SAID THAT A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE WOULD MORE EFFECTIVELY ALLOW HONG KONG PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AIRPORT MATTERS. MR OSBORNE ALSO SAID THAT THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE SHOULD COMPRISE ONLY HONG KONG OFFICIALS AND HONG KONG RESIDENTS AND SHOULD NOT BE A 'SINO-HONG KONG CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE'. SOME REPORTS NOTED THAT MR OSBORNE SAID THAT CHINESE COMMENTS ON THE AIRPORT WERE NOT A VIOLATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.
6. TENDERS FOR THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING WERE REPORTED BY R-3 (15.3) TO HAVE BEEN PUT ON HOLD WHILE DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUED. DIRECTOR OF THE NEW AIRPORT WORKS CO-ORDINATION OFFICE, RAPHAEL HUI, WAS QUOTED (16.3) AS DISMISSING THE REPORT AND AS SAYING THAT A HOST OF VERY COMPLICATED DOCUMENTS WERE BEING FINALISED AND THAT THIS HAD NECESSITATED A DELAY IN THE TENDERING EXERCISE. THE MEDIA REPORTED (17.3) THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD INITIALLY SELECTED FIVE CONSORTIA TO QUALIFY FOR THE TSING MA BRIDGE'S CONSTRUCTION. AMONG THE CONSORTIA WAS A
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