Seek common ground and rise to the challenge of developing infrastructure, Carrie Lam tells Hongkongers as Central-Wan Chai Bypass opens
- The chief executive took an open-top bus from Tin Hau to Central on her maiden voyage along the new road, which will open to motorists on Sunday
- The call comes as the government faces unusually strong opposition to two of its new initiatives
Hong Kong’s leader on Saturday called on the city to pull together and seek common ground to meet the challenges facing it, after her first official ride on the new HK$36 billion (US$4.6 billion) Central-Wan Chai Bypass.
At the commissioning ceremony for the 4.5km bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor recalled the challenges she had faced in her former positions as the government pushed forward with the construction of the link.
Citing controversies over reclamation and the demolition of the iconic Queen’s Pier in Central as examples, Lam said the experiences proved to her that accomplishing big projects in Hong Kong was never easy, least of all nowadays.
“But for Hong Kong’s benefit in the long term, we have to rise up to challenges. We also need to put ourselves in the shoes of others and try to understand the reasons of those who are opposed, to see whether there are ways this might be resolved,” she said.
Lam added that Hong Kong was once again facing problems caused by the development of large infrastructure and land, but that the city must not be deterred.