HONG KONG – Six days ahead of the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the city’s leader on Tuesday reminded residents to stay vigilant for any activities that “may hijack the celebrations”.

Speaking to the media ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, John Lee Ka-chiu said people will welcome the festive vibes on July 1 with a series of celebratory activities and special deals the government announced earlier, including free tram rides, free museum exhibitions, etc.

“Hong Kong experienced the black-clad violence in 2019 and Hong Kong-version ‘color revolution’. Now people cherish stability and look forward to the celebratory activities,” he said.

Stressing that it was normal for people to hold different views about different issues and voicing them out through different channels, the CE reminded people of activities that might hijack the important day

Stressing that it was normal for people to hold different views about different issues and they could voice them out through different channels, the CE reminded people of activities that might hijack the important day.

“Police will take the situation into account as usual when maintaining the law and order,” he said, expressing his hope that people will celebrate happily.

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Asked about the focus of his remaining term in office, Lee reiterated that constitutional reform was not his priority, as the government had already completed enacting Article 23 of the Basic Law and implemented the reform of the city’s electoral system.

The main focus was on “enhancing the city’s economy and people’s livelihood”, he said.

"Hong Kong's economy has experienced a negative growth of 3.7 percent since I took the office in 2022. Now it was under a positive growth of 3.3 percent. It was estimated that this year's economic growth will be between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent," Lee pointed out.

Reviewing a number of measures to prop up the economy since his taking office, the chief executive also highlighted the importance of integrating into the national development and seizing the opportunities brought by cooperation with countries from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

Secretaries of various departments and I, myself, will all work together and make use of the national and international opportunities. This is a time for Hong Kong’s economy to transform.

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive

“Secretaries of various departments and I, myself, will all work together and make use of the national and international opportunities. This is a time for Hong Kong’s economy to transform,” he said.

The CE also said he will lead a delegation of principal officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, to attend the 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference.

Stressing that Guangdong province was a key partner of the SAR’s cooperation with the Chinese mainland, he underscored the fruitful results in the past year for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including the GBA youth employment scheme, GBA legal professional examination, the northbound travel for Hong Kong vehicles program, etc.

The purpose of the conference was to review the cooperation achievement in the past year and map the way forward – particularly on technological innovation, finance, public health, cross-boundary transportation, and trade – to continue to deepen Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation, Lee said.

The SAR will explore more opportunities for cooperation with other provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions to seize the opportunities of the national development and facilitate the nation’s high-quality development, he added.

The purpose of the 24th Plenary of Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference was to review the cooperation achievement in the past year and map the way forward – particularly on technological innovation, finance, public health, cross-boundary transportation, trade – to continue to deepen Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation, Lee said

Voltage dip, airport incident

Lee expressed his concern over two incidents on Sunday of a voltage dip affecting parts of Hong Kong and a real-time flight display failure at the Hong Kong International Airport.

A computer glitch disrupted the dissemination and display of real-time flight information at the airport. Stressing that such incidents “should be avoided”, the CE said it had affected a lot of passengers as Hong Kong, as an international aviation hub, handles more than a thousand flights every day.

Representatives of the Transport and Logistics Bureau had met the management team of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, he said. "The bureau has asked the Airport Authority to conduct a detailed investigation and review the relevant contingency plans and submit a full report to the bureau on the causes of the incident, the contingency plans, and also prevention plans against similar incidents."

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The government had asked the Airport Authority to conduct a comprehensive review of the system, including its backup system, to upgrade its capacity in activating the system, and to review its risk management measures amid the completion of the third runway system, he said, stressing that it was of paramount importance to provide high-quality and stable services to passengers. 

About a spate of power failures involving the public utility company CLP Power Hong Kong, the CE emphasized a stable power supply was key to people’s livelihood and the city’s economic development.

About a spate of the power failure involving the public utility company CLP Power Hong Kong, the CE emphasized a stable power supply was key to people’s livelihood and the city’s economic development

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has asked CLP Power to identify the cause of the power supply incident as soon as possible, formulate improvement plans, and submit a detailed report within four weeks, Lee said, adding that the department has formed a taskforce follow up on the improvement plans, with a view to reducing the risks brought about by the high frequency of thunderstorm warnings during these few months.

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“It is necessary for CLP Power to identify the root causes of the problem, make fundamental improvements to reduce the chances of similar incidents in the future, and maintain the stable and reliable power supply that Hong Kong has always been proud of,” he reiterated.