UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1361
OF 031126Z MAY 91
UNCLASSIFIED
30x
167211 MDLIAN 8082
MAPTOP COPY KS.
Q DIST?
кр
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUND-UP (23.4-30.4)
AIRPORT
1. DEPUTY HEAD OF THE FIRST DEPARTMENT OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE CHEN ZUO'ER TOLD SOME PAPERS (24.4) THAT CHINA HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY PROPOSAL TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE FROM THE BRITISH SIDE SINCE THE ADJOURNMENT OF TALKS.
2. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, WU JIANMIN, WAS WIDELY QUOTED (26.4) AS SAYING IN PEKING THAT CHINA REMAINED OPEN-MINDED ON RESUMING THE TALKS AND THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE COMMUNICATING THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS. A FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN IN LONDON WAS QUOTED IN THE SCM POST (26.4) SAYING THAT DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS WERE OPEN BUT THERE WAS NO MOVEMENT. THE POST ALSO QUOTED DIPLOMATIC SOURCES IN PEKING AS SAYING THAT BRITAIN
WAS SEEKING A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH CHINA DETAILING THE EXACT AREAS ON WHICH IT WISHED TO BE CONSULTED OVER THE ISSUE. CHEN ZUO'ER WAS QUOTED (26.4) AS SAYING THAT CHINA HAD NOT YET RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION THAT THE AIRPORT PROJECT WOULD BE
SHELVED AND THAT PEKING MAINTAINED THAT A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT SHOULD BE BUILT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
3. THE SCM POST (27.4) AND MANY PAPERS (28 AND 29.4) REPORTED THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON THE LATEST FCO ASSESSMENTS OF THE DEADLOCK IN SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON THE AIRPORT.
4. THE PAPERS REPORTED (29.4) THAT CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN TOLD THE CHINESE EDITION OF ASIA WEEKLY THAT CHINA SUPPORTED THE AIRPORT PROJECT BUT THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS AND THE TERRITORY'S LONG-TERM STABILITY AND PROSPERITY MUST BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
5. DIRECTOR OF HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE LU PING WAS QUOTED (30.4) AS SAYING TO A DELEGATION OF HONG KONG AND MACAU
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