14-JUL-1993 14:34
Gallagher
0491 579838
P.04
TRANSCRIPT MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD
A
SELECT COMMITTEE
14 JULY 93
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On Hong Kong's new airport our memorandum to the committee made
plain that we still hoped to reach an overall understanding with
the Chinese side on financing arrangements. That remains the
In
case. There have been three meetings of the Sino/British Airport
Committee in recent weeks, these have achieved some progress.
particular the Chinese side have given their agreement to the
franchise for the Western Harbour crossing and during the Foreign
Secretary's visit to Peking to the central Wan Chai reclamation.
These are two of the major components of the airport project. But
we have not yet reached agreement on overall financing
arrangements, the longer the delay on this continues the harder it
will be to complete the airport by 30 June 1997.
On nationality issues, a delegation from the Hong Kong Legislative
Council's nationality sub-committee visited London in June. They
had two main concerns. The first was over arrangements for
replacing the status of British dependent territories citizen in
Hong Kong with that of British Nationals overseas, this is
required by the exchange and memoranda annexed to the Joint
Declaration wherein Britain and China agreed that Hong Kong people
could continue to hold British passports after 1997. We need to
issue BNO passports under a phased programme starting this year to
ensure that all eligible applicants can receive their passports in
an orderly way before 1 July 1997. There was concern in Hong Kong
that people currently holding BDTC passports, and whose status as
British dependent territories citizens of course continues until
30 June 1997, should not have to surrender these in order to
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