Carrie Lam rules out cutting number of mainland Chinese migrants to Hong Kong in Facebook live session
City leader discusses subjects from housing to civil liberties, in first appearance for a chief executive on online platform
Hong Kong’s leader on Friday ruled out reducing or scrapping the quota for mainland Chinese migrants settling in the city, accusing political activists of “brainwashing” local residents into blaming people from across the border for the city’s housing shortage and inadequate resources.
Several viewers suggested abolishing or reducing the daily quota of 150 one-way permits issued to mainlanders reuniting with their families and settling in the city, but Lam rejected the idea.
“Maybe recently some people have successfully brainwashed you into thinking that our shortage of flats, high property prices and insufficient medical services, they’re all related to the one-way permit,” she said.
“But that’s not the case. Quite the contrary, those coming here to reunite with their families are our new assets, they are part of Hong Kong ... Even some radical young people [among you] and their parents came here on one-way permits.”
Lam suggested that young mainlanders migrating to Hong Kong could ease the problems caused by the city’s ageing population and low birth rate.
Viewership during the 48-minute session peaked at about 2,000 concurrents, and more than 38,000 people had watched at least part of it by the end. Lam received more than 3,900 responses from Facebook users, although “angry face” emojis far outnumbered “thumbs up” and “heart” symbols, and she received about 10,000 comments.