No love lost
THE proverb says that Hong Kong's four powers are Jardine Matheson, the Hong- kong Bank, the Jockey Club and the Governor — in that order. Hong Kong's most open secret is that there is no love lost between powers 1 and 4. In the airport row and in his other difficulties with Peking, the Governor might have expected to have his business community behind him. That, though, is not my impression. I hear grumbles about megaphone diplomacy. I even hear sympathy for the Chinese, who, as they see the Hong Kong government cramming new legislation onto the books, may suspect it of changing the rules in the middle of the game. The Foreign Office has been explaining to them that they have nothing to worry about. Oh, thanks, that's all right, then. I asked whether the loss of the airport project would be bad for business confidence. It must be bad news for the big Hong Kong contractors, who have been flourishing but now begin to wonder where the next tunnel or flyover will come from. I was told, though, that it was already discounted. Instead, business- men have gone back to saying how conven- ient it is to have their airport in the middle of town, even if the 747s have to wiggle round the tower blocks to get in. Life in Hong Kong is meant to be exciting.
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