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116424 MDLIAN 0694
3. THE MEDIA (12.1) WIDELY REPORTED THAT THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS WAS DEADLOCKED. LUO JIAHUAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD NOT PROVIDED ANY NEW INFORMATION WHILE THE CHINESE SIDE HAD PUT FORWARD ''IMPORTANT, POSITIVE AND SOLEMN'' VIEWS ON WHICH THE BRITISH TEAM HAD TO CONSULT MORE SENIOR OFFICIALS. R-3 AND WEN WEI PO QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE TEAM HAD EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT SOMEONE WOULD NOT ''PLAY LITTLE TRICKS''. AN NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH OFFICIAL WAS QUOTED BY THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS AS SAYING THAT THAT THERE WAS NO REAL NEED FOR HONG KONG TO BUILD AN AIRPORT THAT COULD ACCOMMODATE TEN OF MILLIONS OF PASSENGERS AND THAT HONG KONG SHOULD RECONSIDER THE SCALE OF THE AIRPORT IN VIEW OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN MACAU AND AN AIRPORT IN SHENZHEN. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL SAID THE CHINESE HAD CONSIDERED THAT THE BRITISH LACKED SINCERITY BECAUSE IT HAD PROCEEDED TO INVITE TENDERS FOR 12 AIRPORT-RELATED PROJECTS BEFORE THE CHINESE SIDE HAD INDICATED ITS STANCE. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE MIGHT ASK THAT SOMEONE WHO COULD REALLY REPRESENT CHINA BE APPOINTED INTO THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
4. JI PENGFEI SAID THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD NOT BEEN SPEAKING THEIR MINDS TO THE CHINESE ON THE AIRPORT ISSUE, THAT CHINA WOULD GIVE SUPPORT TO THE PROJECT ONLY IF A COMPLETE PICTURE WAS GIVEN, AND THAT CHINA WAS A BIG COUNTRY AND ONE COULD NOT USE WAYS TO LURE A SMALL CHILD TO LURE IT.
5. THE MEDIA (13.1) NOTED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS. LUO JIAHUAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT BEFORE THE SETTING UP OF THE SAR GOVERNMENT IN 1997, THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF CHINA ALONE HAD THE RIGHT TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION. HE WARNED THAT IF THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT CO-OPERATE WITH THE CHINESE AND ADOPTED AN ATTITUDE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF CHINA, BRITAIN WOULD LEAVE A DISHONOURABLE CHAPTER'E IN HISTORY DURING THE LAST YEARS OF ITS ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG. HE SAID THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT COULD NOT MAKE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SAR GOVERNMENT, NOTING THAT THERE HAD BEEN A WRONG SUGGESTION THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT COULD MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE SAR AND THAT THIS SUGGESTION WAS ITSELF ''AN ADVANCE INTERFERENCE'' WITH THE INTERNAL MATTERS OF CHINA. MR LUO ACCUSED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OF INSINCERITY IN GOING AHEAD WITH TENDERS FOR THE PROJECT WHILE DISCUSSIONS WERE STILL UNDER WAY, ADDING THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD BE WIDELY CONSULTED. WEN WEI PO SAID MR LUO REITERATED THAT ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO HONG KONG AND
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