(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee said the financial hub faces difficulties before it can reopen the border with mainland China, after returning from his first meeting with President Xi Jinping since being selected to run the financial hub earlier this month.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Lee said he told Premier Li Keqiang there are “a lot of challenges and difficulties” to overcome before travel with the mainland can resume. “I will start seeking communication with the mainland side, to explain the Hong Kong situation to them,” Lee said Tuesday at a press conference at Hong Kong International Airport, held shortly after he touched down from Beijing.
Separately, the former policeman stated that he still has no short list of candidates for his cabinet that he can disclose but has shared his thinking process with Xia Baolong, the top mainland official in charge of the Chinese territory.
During Lee’s four-day trip to Beijing he received his official appointment letter from Li — the final formality before taking office on July 1. Later on Monday, Xi praised Lee for defending national security and upholding stability, and stressed the central government’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” principle governing Hong Kong.
The former chief secretary will be sworn into office on July 1, the 25th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule. He’ll face pressure to restore business confidence in the wake of the city’s restrictive hotel quarantine rules, address the housing crisis, and manage Covid policy as Hong Kong seeks to balance the demands of China’s zero-tolerance approach with the business community.
All eyes are watching if Xi will come to Hong Kong for the anniversary, which would mark the first time Xi will have left mainland China since January 2020. At this time, Lee “doesn’t have any information on this.”
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
