FLC OF A 4 ENG WDB ON MINIMUM FUEL DURING APCH WAS SENT AROUND BY APCH CTLR DUE TO MAINTAINING A HIGHER SPD THAN REQUESTED BY ATC. CREW STATED THAT AN EMER WOULD HAVE TO BE DECLARED IF NOT GIVEN PRIORITY TO RETURN LAND AT ONCE.

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ON APCHING HKG; WE WERE CLRED BAKER 1 FOR RWY 7L. WE WERE IN A MINIMUM FUEL CONDITION AND ADVISED ATC WE COULDN'T ACCEPT ANY DELAY. I WAS TRYING TO STAY AS HIGH AS PRACTICAL AND MINIMUM DRAG. ATC REQUESTED SPD REDUCTION AND ADVISED WE NEEDED TO STAY AT A HIGHER SPD FOR FUEL CONSERVATION. ATC THEN GAVE US A VECTOR FOR THE HIGHER SPD. THEY TURNED R 340 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. GEAR WAS DOWN AT THIS TIME AND FLAPS WERE IN TRANSIT AND SPD BRAKE OUT. CLRED FOR THE APCH FUEL AT LOC INTERCEPT WAS 17.2 WITH PROJECTION AT FINAL FIX OF 16.8. ATC ADVISED TO GAR; AND IMMEDIATELY ASKED FOR VECTORS TO MACAW. ATC ADVISED WE COULD GET INTO HKG FASTER THAN GOING TO MACAW; SO I ADVISED IF WE COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO HKG WE WERE GOING TO DECLARE AN EMER AT HKG. ATC ADVISED WE WERE GOING TO RETURN TO HKG IMMEDIATELY SO I ACCEPTED CLRNC. BLOCKED IN WITH 12.8 FUEL. CALLED ATC UPON ARR AND WITH A RETURN CALL; ATC ADVISED AT OUR HIGHER SPD THE CLOSURE RATE WITH TFC AHEAD WAS TOO GREAT; SO HE GAVE US A GAR.