HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and different industries should share the responsibilities for the city’s development, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday, stressing that the business sector and entrepreneurs were not “onlookers”.
Various sectors should work together to seize opportunities for the SAR’s development, he said when asked about his meeting in Beijing last Friday with Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
“We need to convert the love for our country and Hong Kong into solid actions, so that we can move Hong Kong from stability to prosperity,” the CE said citing Xia’s remarks during their meeting.
The business sector and entrepreneurs, in particular, were not “onlookers” of the city’s development, but “beneficiaries, participants and contributors”, the CE stressed while talking to the media ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.
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He thanked Xia for recognizing the work of the current term SAR administration and the government’s clear vision of reform and practical measures to push for new progress in various tasks.
Highlighting his reform vision, Lee said the government needed to take the city’s conditions into account and adapt measures to local conditions and the times.
“We cannot launch a reform for the sake of reform. We cannot damage Hong Kong’s original strength when launching reforms,” he said, adding that the government must take grasp of the current and the long-term situation.
Preparation for Golden Week
In the run-up to the upcoming National Day Golden Week, the CE said about 1.15 million to 1.2 million mainland tourists were expected to visit Hong Kong, a rise of 20 percent compared with the same period last year.
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There will be about 850 tour groups from the mainland, most of which will stay for one night, he said, adding that it was estimated that the number will be 10 percent higher than that in 2023.
Stressing that the HKSAR government attached great importance to receiving tourists, he said a working group coordinated by the chief secretary for administration had held meetings with different departments to ensure smooth transportation and sufficient manpower at various border control points so that all tourists would have a pleasant experience.
Japanese food imports
Regarding a consensus reached by China and Japan on the discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater and the nation’s gradual resumption of imports of aquatic products from Japan, the CE said the SAR government has always given top priority to the health and safety of residents.
“We have contacted the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR and the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong for further information to ensure that the SAR government will have access to sufficient scientific data and evidence to consider any adjustment possibility (to lift the ban on Japanese food imports).”
National security case
Replying to a query regarding a court case involving four students from the University of Hong Kong for allegedly violating the city’s National Security Law, Lee said it’s not proper for the government to make further comments as the case is still under legal proceedings.
Emphasizing that endangering national security is a serious crime, he said certificates to prove if a court case concerned national security have been issued by him more than once and will be issued whenever it was deemed necessary.
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About a French photojournalist being denied entry to Hong Kong, the CE said that all entries must be considered in accordance with the prevailing immigration policies and relevant laws and the practices were no different from those in other jurisdictions.
