UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1703
UNCLASSIFIED
(G1)
thais 301/1
072034 MDLIAN 4478
OF 290311Z MAY 91
TOR COPY
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREPILG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, BIS NEW YORK INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN FRANCISCO, UKMIS GENEVA, HKGO GENEVA
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUND-UP
SUMMARY
1. THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE AIRPORT CONTINUED TO RECEIVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE.
AIRPORT
2. REMARKS BY LEADERS OF THE CHINESE AND BRITISH NEGOTIATING TEAMS AFTER FIVE DAYS OF TALKS IN PEKING RECEIVED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE (24.5). THE BRITISH TEAM LEADER, ANDREW BURNS, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE TALKS WERE 'VERY SERIOUS AND DETAILED' AND COVERED A LOT OF GROUND'. BUT A NUMBER OF ISSUES REMAINED TO BE RESOLVED AND BOTH SIDES HAD DECIDED TO KEEP IN TOUCH. HOWEVER, HE DID NOT KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER ROUND OF TALKS.
3. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, WU JIANMIN, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (24.5) THAT THE CHINESE HAD ADOPTED A POSITIVE AND CO-OPERATIVE ATTITUDE AND HAD PUT FORWARD A POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DRAFT AGREEMENT. THE LEADER OF THE CHINESE TEAM, CHEN ZUO'ER, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, SAID THAT THE DRAFT INDICATED THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE THEIR BEST EFFORTS TO ENABLE THE AIRPORT TO BE BUILT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. MR CHEN REITERATED THAT CHINA REPRESENTED THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT AND THEREFORE HAD TO ASK QUESTIONS CONCERNING MATTERS THAT WENT BEYOND 1997. TIN TIN DAILY NEWS, REPORTING FROM PEKING, OBSERVED THAT CHINA HAD MADE A MAJOR CONCESSION BY NOT OPPOSING THE TSING MA BRIDGE AND THIS IN ITSELF IMPLIED THAT PEKING HAD ENDORSED THE SITE AT CHEK LAP KOK.
4. A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH, ZHANG JUNSHENG, SAID THAT THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SIDE WOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP IN TOUCH AS THE CHINESE STILL HOPED TO WORK OUT A SOLUTION.
5. THE SCMP PLAYED UP THE CHINESE CLAIM THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WAS RENEGING ON PROMISES MADE. QUOTING A CHINESE SOURCE, THE PAPER
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