CONFIDENTIAL
HKC 026/4
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 75
OF 09105OZ JANUARY 92
INFO PRIORITY LISBON, PEKING, BTC HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG
ن
163747 MDLIAN 5954
VISIT TO HONG KONG BY THE GOVERNOR OF MACAU: 9 JANUARY.
1. THE GOVERNOR OF MACAU, GENERAL ROCHA VIEIRA, PAID HIS FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO HONG KONG TODAY (9 JANUARY) I HAD ONE AND A HALF HOURS OF TALKS WITH HIM, FOLLOWED BY LUNCH. HE VISITED THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT AND WAS GIVEN A BRIEFING ON THE NEW CHEK LAP KOK AIRPORT.
2. THE GOVERNOR'S MAIN CONCERN WAS TO PICK MY BRAINS ON HONG KONG'S RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE AND AT WHAT LEVELS THESE TOOK PLACE. HE WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN HOW WE HANDLED CROSS- BORDER ISSUES AND HOW WE HAD MANAGED TO PUT OUR POINTS OVER TO THE CHINESE DURING THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW. HE ALSO ASKED HOW SUCCESSFUL WE WERE BEING AT BUILDING UP LOCAL LEADERS WHO COULD TAKE HONG KONG THROUGH THE TRANSITION PERIOD AND SHOWED AN INTEREST IN ENCOURAGING WIDER INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION IN MACAU. LYING BEHIND MUCH OF THIS WAS EVIDENT CONCERN AT THE PROSPECT OF MACAU BEING EFFECTIVELY ABSORBED INTO THE PRC AFTER 1999 UNLESS MEASURES WERE TAKEN TO MAINTAIN ITS SEPARATE IDENTITY.
3. THE GOVERNOR BRIEFED ME ON THE PRESENT STATE OF PLAY ON THE MACAU AIRPORT. HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH SOME DIFFICULTIES REMAINED, THE CHINESE NOW CLEARLY WANTED THE AIRPORT TO GO AHEAD AND HAD AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO MAKE SOME SORT OF FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION, ALTHOUGH THE NATURE OF THIS WAS STILL TO BE DETERMINED. THE TERMINAL RECLAMATION HAD BEEN FINISHED AND CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RUNWAY WOULD BE SIGNED NEXT WEEK. THIS ACCOUNTED FOR 40 PER CENT OF THE OVERALL COST OF THE PROJECT. MACAU WERE READY TO DISCUSS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL MEASURES WITH HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE.
4. THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT THE MACAU GOVERNMENT FOUND THEIR CONTACTS WITH SENIOR HONG KONG OFFICIALS MOST HELPFUL. HE HOPED THAT THESE COULD INCREASE. THEY BENEFITED IN PARTICULAR FROM HONG
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