John Lee urges Hongkongers to take advantage of Beijing’s new measures, to be innovative

To mark the 27th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty on Monday, Beijing announced it would gift Hong Kong a pair of giant pandas and introduce a five-year travel permit allowing permanent residents with foreign passports to enter the city. continent.

Some said it was not as attractive as the 100,000 yuan annual limit for the country’s southern Hainan province, also a popular destination for mainland tourists.

Asked if he would fight for a higher limit, Lee said the increase was achieved “after a lot of effort” by the minister and various central government authorities, adding that it was important for the city to make good use of the new arrangement.

“It is important for us Hong Kong people, of course including the government, to capitalize and make good use of all the various measures and ensure that they realize their best potential in Hong Kong,” he added.

Lee called on various sectors to ensure that visitors have a good experience during their stay in Hong Kong.

“I urge everyone to think of innovative ways to take advantage of the new measures offered to Hong Kong,” said the chief executive.

Lee also said the government had reached a consensus on further expanding the Close Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) for trade in services, noting that it would cover areas in which Hong Kong had an advantage, such as law, finance and construction.

He said the series of measures offered by Beijing would create a ripple effect and benefit Hong Kong as a whole.

The government will continue to review any measures that will boost the city’s overall economic development and business environment and stay in touch with Beijing on these areas, Lee said.

“If there is a need and we have determined that the policy is appropriate, we will definitely discuss it with the central government,” he said.

Lee’s call for the city to benefit from Beijing’s measures echoed remarks by Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, at a lunch with lawmakers on Friday.

Zheng urged the city to evolve from its role as a “super connector” to a “super money maker,” the first time he had used such a term since taking office in 2023.

He urged Hong Kong to take advantage of the benefits offered by the “two systems”.

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The July 1 celebrations mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule

The July 1 celebrations mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule

Lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, who attended the lunch, told the Post that such a term implied that Beijing would like Hong Kong to be more proactive in addressing its own economic difficulties, rather than asking for more favors. .

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the Chinese Studies Association of Hong Kong and Macau, said Lee’s remarks did not reflect that the government was embarrassed or wanted to shy away from seeking too many measures to benefit Hong Kong.

“For measures that benefit Hong Kong, the central government will give back to Hong Kong, whether the government asks for it or not, as they understand that our economy is in a period of transition, where we will have a lot of difficulties and challenges. in the short and medium term,” he said.

Lau said he believed the city leader just wanted to remind local business operators to take full advantage of the opportunities already offered by Beijing first. He said society had only partially benefited from some measures while ignoring or rejecting others, pointing to the nearby Qianhai Economic Zone as an example.

He said there was not much absorption in Qianhai, a developing area in Shenzhen with special policies for Hong Kong companies.

Lau said the central government would also have other considerations for not granting some measures to Hong Kong and would have to take into account the opinions of other provinces and the possible effects on national interests.