Asked if he can ‘bring hope’ to Hong Kong, CY Leung points to housing policy

Top official was speaking in wake of comments from billionaire Li Ka-shing on coming chief executive race

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Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying meets the press before the weekly Exco meeting. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 11:45am, 29 Nov 2016Updated: 11:55am, 29 Nov 2016

Hong Kong’s top official said the government and society have a “common vision” for building the city, and that his administration’s work on solving the housing shortage has been “hopeful”.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was responding to a question from the Post on whether he could “bring hope” to the city, after Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, promised to help elect a leader who was capable of doing so in the leadership race next March.

The CK Hutchison Holdings chairman has been returned uncontested to the 1,200-member Election Committee. He made the pledge in his platform for the committee’s polls scheduled for December 11.

In the 2012 race, Li backed Leung’s rival Henry Tang Ying-yen, whose campaign was destroyed by revelations about a massive illegal basement at his residence.

Leung also said he would do his utmost to maintain a dialogue with lawmakers, a day after former governor Chris Patten said “a good chief executive in any governing system should listen to a wide group of people and be decisive”.

Before the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, Leung said: “The SAR government and society have a common vision on building Hong Kong in various aspects – developing the economy, improving livelihood and, in particular, solving land and housing shortages, which the residents are very concerned about.”