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056727
MDLIAN 9467
GROUP'S WORKLOAD AND THE STATE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER CO-OPERATION SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED.
AIRPORT
7. THE MEDIA (13.2) REPORTED THAT THE THIRD ROUND OF EXPERT TALKS
ON THE NEW AIRPORT AND RELATED PROJECTS WOULD BE HELD IN PEKING FROM FEBRUARY 21 TO 23. THE HONG KONG TEAM WOULD BE LED BY SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY, HAMISH MACLEOD AND THE CHINESE TEAM BY DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LUO JIAHUAN. REPORTS ON 19.2 NOTED THAT MR MACLEOD WOULD PROPOSE AT THE MEETING THAT THE SCALE OF THE PADS PROJECTS BE REDUCED BY HALF FROM THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL OF HKD127
MILLION TO HKD78 MILLION.
8. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (14.2), QUOTING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SOURCES, REPORTED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD STRONG RESERVATIONS ABOUT A PROPOSAL TO SET UP A JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE AS IT BELIEVED STEPPED-UP COMMUNICATIONS ON THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT BETWEEN THE CHINESE AND BRITISH COULD BE ACHIEVED THROUGH HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS OR BY THE APPOINTMENT OF CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES TO THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY. THE PAPERS NOTED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WAS STILL WORRIED THAT AS THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVES WOULD CONSTITUTE THE MINORITY IN THE AUTHORITY, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE MAJOR POLICY DECISIONS. THE EXPRESS (17.2) QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, SAID THAT THE IDEA OF SETTING UP A JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE HAD BEEN RAISED BY LU PING, WHO FELT THAT SUCH A COMMITTEE WOULD HELP CO-ORDINATE DIFFERENT VIEWS HELD BY HONG KONG PEOPLE. THE PAPER NOTED THAT THE CHINESE WOULD PROBABLY NOT MAKE KNOWN THEIR STAND ON THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT UNTIL AFTER LU PING'S VISIT TO HONG KONG OR THE FOREIGN SECRETARY'S VISIT TO CHINA.
9. THE MEDIA (13.2) REPORTED THAT THE BAN ON THE HONG KONG MEDIA FROM COVERING THE THIRD ROUND OF AIRPORT TALKS HAD BEEN LIFTED. A HONG KONG CHINA NEWS AGENCY DISPATCH WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE HAD ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO INCREASE THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS AND THAT CHINA HAD ALWAYS BEEN VERY CO-OPERATIVE ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE MATTER.
NATIONALITY
BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE
10. THE MEDIA (19.2) REPORTED THAT 8,600 COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS FOR THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE HAD BEEN RETURNED SO
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