Hong Kong leader John Lee pledges to gain more policy support from Beijing as he leads largest delegation to capital amid ‘two sessions’
- Ahead of his departure, Chief Executive John Lee says he is leading eight bureau chiefs to meet mainland Chinese officials
- Lee says he will attend closing ceremony of National People’s Congress on Monday morning
Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to win greater policy support from Beijing as he leads the largest delegation in recent years to the capital to meet mainland Chinese officials during a week-long trip.
Ahead of his departure, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Sunday said eight bureau chiefs, out of 15 in total, were accompanying him, while sources told the Post the Ministry of Finance would be among their first stops, followed by the ones for foreign affairs and culture and tourism.
“This reflects that we attach great importance to seizing every chance to strive for more policy support for Hong Kong from different ministerial departments and institutions after the border reopening,” Lee said, referring to the restoration of normal cross-border travel between the city and the mainland earlier this year.
The eight policy heads oversee financial services, commerce and economic development, education, innovation and technology, health, constitutional and mainland affairs, security, and culture, sports and tourism.
Speaking to the media at the Hong Kong International Airport, Lee said he would attend the closing ceremony of the NPC on Monday morning before meeting with mainland ministerial officials.
He also congratulated President Xi Jinping, who secured an unprecedented third-term in power, saying his re-election reflected his leadership had “guided China into a new stage”.
Hong Kong leader heading back to Beijing to discuss integrating economy
According to a government statement on Friday, one of the aims of the trip was to promote Hong Kong’s further integration into national development and create a strong impetus for growth.
City leaders typically meet mainland officials while staying in Beijing for annual gatherings, but the size of this year’s delegation is larger than usual.
Beijing official tells Hong Kong leader to ‘nip’ national security risks in the bud
Last year, Lee’s predecessor Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor did not attend the meetings as Hong Kong was battling its fifth wave of Covid-19 infections, which peaked that March.
This year’s two sessions also saw a leadership transition that comes once every five years. Four top officials were endorsed as vice-premiers during Sunday’s NPC session, including 60-year-old Ding Xuexiang, a close aide of Xi and who has been tipped to succeed retiring Han Zheng to oversee Hong Kong and Macau affairs by heading the Communist Party’s Central Leading Group.
Without commenting on Ding’s chances, Chan Yung, spokesman of the local NPC delegation, said the new executive vice-premier had close ties with the financial hub, as demonstrated by his visit to the city with Xi last year. Chan also pointed to Ding’s remarks about the national security law made in group meetings during the two sessions.
But Ma Fung-kwok, the head of the local NPC delegation, said that whoever took over from Han would be of secondary consideration to the city’s future, given the central government’s already staunch support.
“Whoever succeeds Han will not make a huge difference. The abundant policy support offered by the central government will continue, as Beijing hopes Hong Kong can better leverage our strengths,” Ma said.
Starry Lee becomes sole Hong Kong member of nation’s top legislative body
NPC deputy Ng Chau-pei said the change would strengthen the party’s oversight of Hong Kong affairs and help streamline coordination among mainland agencies.
Separately, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday praised Xi’s leadership over the past decade, saying the country had “successfully overcome a range of political and economic challenges, and its fight against the Covid-19 epidemic”.
He added Hong Kong would “concentrate its energy and resources on developing the economy without distractions” as the city’s “patriots-only” political order was more consolidated.
“At a time when massive changes unseen in a century are constantly evolving, we must maintain the innovation momentum, and vibrant development of Hong Kong’s financial markets,” he wrote on his official blog. “We must also attach great importance to ensure overall security.”
