Hong Kong policy address: Lee’s tie nod to city’s role as mainland China bridge

Hong Kong’s leader and his team will wear a tie and silk scarf that symbolise the city’s role in bridging mainland China with the world when he delivers his fourth policy blueprint on Wednesday, as he explained his philosophy in a video partly created using AI technology.

The different designs were conceived by instructors and students of fashion courses from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong Design Institute, and the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Sunday in a social media post that the designs were inspired by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge, which provided connections not only within the city but also between the city and the Greater Bay Area, as well as the world.

“The designs symbolise Hong Kong’s roles as a ‘superconnector’ and a ‘super value-adder’ between the mainland and the world, serving as a two-way springboard for attracting overseas enterprises and for Chinese enterprises to go global,” Lee said.

A government source told the Post that the first eight seconds of the video were generated by artificial intelligence, which shows a seamless transition of three different ties on Lee’s outfit as he walks.

The source said the effect was created using a combination of photos from past years and a new video clip of Lee, and that the use of artificial intelligence reflected the city leader’s push for the use of AI within government, which he will elaborate on in the coming policy address.

Lee also wore a green tie for his policy address last year, as well as in 2023.