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THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN SPEAKS TO THE PRESS AFTER ATTENDING EXCO MEETING ON 22.9.92
GOVERNOR
GOOD MORNING. ́ ́WE'VE HAD A FAIRLY SHORT MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. BUT WE DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AT THE END OF OUR OF THE MEETING TO DISCUSS THE LATEST SITUATION ON THE FINANCING
I THINK THERE IS SOME SURPRISE AIRPORT AND ASSOCIATED PROJECTS. CERTAINLY ON MY PART AND PERHAPS ON THE PART OF MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL ABOUT THE LATEST TURN OF EVENTS.
FIRST OF ALL WHAT WE'VE DONE IN LET ME TELL YOU EXACTLY WHY. THE LAST FEW DAYS IS TO RESPOND AS POSITIVELY AS WE COULD TO THE I CHINESE PROPOSALS THAT WERE PUT FORWARD ON THE 9TH OF SEPTEMBER.
THEY WERE CHINESE PROPOSALS, FIRST OF HAVE TO EMPHASISE THAT POINT. ALL, CHINESE PROPOSALS CONVEYED IN A BRIEFING ON AN AIRCRAFT FROM DRUMQI,
PUT FORWARD AT THE WHO KNOWS BY WHOM, SECONDLY,
SECONDLY, PROPOSALS AIRPORT COMMITTEE OFFICIALLY BY OUR CHINESE. COLLEAGUES.' WE TRIED TO BUILD THIS POSITIVELY AS WE COULD ON THOSE PROPOSALS IN THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE LAST WEEK. NOW IT'S PERFECTLY TRUE THAT WE'VE NOT HAD YET AND I VERY MUCH AN CFFICIAL REACTION FROM OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES. HOPE THAT WE WILL HAVE AN OFFICIAL REACTION WHICH IS POSITIVE AND BUT I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ENABLES US TO MAKE FURTHER PROGRESS. SURPRISED BY THE REACTION OF ONE OR TWO NEWSPAPERS WHICH CUSTOMARILY AND I HAVE BEEN SURPRISED BY SEEMED TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF PEKING.
THE REPORTED REMARKS OF ANOTHER CHINESE SENIOR SOURCE TODAY, BECAUSE ALL THAT SUGGESTS TO ME THAT SOME ONE IS PERHAPS TUNING ON THE WRONG WAVE LENGTH. I REPEAT. WE RESPONDED TO CHINESE PROPOSALS. WE'VE DONE SO WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS AND IN GOOD FAITH. AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN PROCEED IN THAT WAY.
SECONDLY, PERHAPS THERE IS ROOM FOR A LITTLE SURPRISE, THAT WE STILL KEEP ON HEARING A SLOGAN ABOUT COST EFFECTIVENESS. OF COURSE, WE ALL WANT A COST EFFECTIVE SERIES OF PROJECTS, JUST AS WE WANTED A COST EFFECTIVE TUNNEL ACROSS THE HARBOUR, JUST AS WE WANTED COST EFFECTIVE PROJECTS ELSEWHERE IN HONG KONG, AND SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN WHAT WE SHOWING COST EFFECTIVENESS AT EVERY TURN ON THIS PROJECT.
WHAT WE DON'T WANT IS A SECOND DON'T WANT IS A SECOND HAND AIRPORT. CLASE AIRPORT. WHAT WE WANT IS AN AIRPORT WHICH ENABLES US TO COMPETE WITH THE BEST IN ASIA. WE WANT AN AIRPORT WHICH HAS GOOD ROAD AND RAILWAY. WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE CYCLING TO THE NEW AIRPORT UNLESS THEY ARE PARTICULARLY KEEN ON GETTING FIT. SO WE WILL GO ON PRESSING FOR AS GOOD AN AIRPORT AS POSSIBLE, AS COST EFFECTIVE AN AIRPORT AS POSSIBLE. AND WE'LL POINT OUT THAT OUR NEW PROPOSALS REDUCE THE
NOBODY DISPUTES THAT. TOTAL COST OF THE AIRPORT BY ABOUT 10 BILLION.
THIRDLY, AND IT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT, OUR PROPOSALS ENSURE THAT WE CAN BOTH HAVE THE AIRPORT AND THE ASSOCIATED PROJECTS AND COMMIT THE RESOURCES THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WANT TO OUR EDUCATION AND OUR SOCIAL SERVICES. IF ANYBODY DISBELIEVES THAT, THEY WE'RE SHOULD PERHAPS WAIT AND SEE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ON OCTOBER 7TH. NOT TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM OTHER PROJECTS IN ORDER TO FUND THE I READ BY AIRPORT. OF COURSE THAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOME OF THE THINGS
HOW CAN IT BE FAIR, FOR EXAMPLE, SOME NEWSPAPERS WERE IMPLEMENTED. FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO MAKE ALL THE SACRIFICES IN TERMS OF REDUCED PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PROGRAMMES BEFORE 1997 AND THEN TO HAVE ALL
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S'I'D L2:DI 22-60-2661
Db:01 RCCT.
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