HONG KONG

British-Japanese Group Wins Bridge Contract: An Anglo-Japanese consortium led by Trafalgar House has won a contract to build one of the world’s longest suspension bridges, linking Hong Kong’s new airport with the mainland, even though Hyundai of South Korea made a lower bid. The government called the Trafalgar consortium’s bid the “lowest acceptable offer.” It said the Korean bid fell short of the government’s standard capital requirements, designed to ensure that a company has enough capital to complete the contract. The decision provoked controversy in the colony. The lion’s share of airport-linked contracts awarded so far have gone to British companies. The airport itself project is already over budget, and there is local suspicion that the project is Britain’s final move to cash in on its colony before Hong Kong is handed over to China on July 1, 1997.