Letters | How John Lee can lead Hong Kong out of Covid-19 miasma

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John Lee has been anointed as our next chief executive and I wish him well. Hong Kong needs a good leader to guide us through the present morass. Thankfully, he has a pliant Legislative Council, a national security law that has struck the fear of God into the hearts of protest-addicted Hongkongers and a very low bar to clear thanks to the bumbling Carrie Lam administration. It would be stating the blindingly obvious to say that he has the full blessing of our political masters too.

We are expecting our new chief executive to give us a road map for tackling the two-year-plus Covid-19 restrictions that have left Hong Kong with more than 8,000 deaths and many more with medical and social problems. The economic fallout probably is immeasurable. As a trade and financial centre, Hong Kong cannot cut itself off from the international community. Hong Kong’s future is intertwined with China, and reopening to the mainland is equally crucial.

With the current “dynamic zero”, or whatever moniker China is using, Hong Kong cannot have it both ways. Hong Kong can decide when to open up like most economies and move on. It is not within our power when the mainland will open up to Hong Kong.