pa Press
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CONFIDENTIAL
uns 201
076237- MDHIAN 8890
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F CO
TELNO 1717
OF 300645Z MAY 91
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
icf
AIRPORT TALKS: PRESS REPORTS, 30 MAY
SUMMARY
COMMENTS BY TIAN ZENGPEI. A REPORT FROM LONDON THAT HMG IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE BREAKDOWN. SOME COMMENTS BY CHEN RONGCHUN.
1.
DETAIL
2.
CHINESE VICE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TIAN ZENGPEI IS REPORTED AS SAYING THAT CERTAIN PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE FOLLOWING THE AIRPORT TALKS. BUT SOME QUESTIONS STILL NEEDED TO BE RESOLVED THROUGH DISCUSSIONS. THE TWO SIDES AGREED THAT HONG KONG NEEDED NEW AIRPORT. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD NOT/NOT BE LEFT WITH A BURDEN. HE BELIEVED THE PROBLEM COULD BE SOLVED THROUGH JOINT EFFORTS. TIAN STRESSED THE COMMON POINTS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THE TWO HAD COMMON INTERESTS TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. CHINA HOPED THAT TIES BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES COULD BE FURTHER DEVELOPED.
3.
THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTED FROM LONDON THAT HMG WERE GETTING MORE AND MORE WORRIED ABOUT POSSIBLE CONFLICTS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, CAUSED BY THE AIRPORT PROJECT. BRITAIN FELT THE CHINESE WERE USING THE AIRPORT TO TEST BRITISH DETERMINATION TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY. FCO ADVISERS BELIEVED THAT SCRAPPING THE PROJECT WOULD FURTHER WORSEN SINO- BRITISH RELATIONS AND UNDERMINE WORLD CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. THE BRITISH WERE VERY RELUCTANT TO STOP DISCUSSING THE ISSUE WITH THE CHINESE. BUT BRITISH SOURCES TOLD THE PAPER THAT THE TWO SIDES STILL HAD MAJOR DIFFERENCES ON HOW TO HANDLE THE QUESTION OF FISCAL RESERVES, WHICH WAS WHY THE LAST ROUND OF TALKS HAD BROKEN DOWN.
CHEN RONGCHUN, HEAD OF THE NCNA FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, HAS GIVEN ANOTHER INTERVIEW, THIS TIME TO THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC
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PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL
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