Hong Kong’s John Lee cites ‘good understanding’ in meetings with liaison chief

Hong Kong’s leader has attributed his two meetings with Beijing’s newly appointed liaison office chief within three days to the need to maintain good communication and understanding with the central government, so he can reflect the city’s situation accurately and formulate good policies.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday described Zhou Ji, the new liaison office director, as a “humble and pragmatic” official, noting that the latter cared about Hong Kong and attached importance to people’s livelihoods and district governance, as shown by a community visit he made on the weekend.

Lee also highlighted that Zhou held the interests of the city close to his heart and was a staunch supporter of the correct and faithful implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.

Zhou, who succeeded Zheng Yanxiong on Friday as the liaison office chief and adviser to the city’s national security committee, met Lee at Government House on Saturday.

On Sunday, he made his first public appearance with visits to a Kowloon Women’s Organisations Federa­tion centre at Fu Cheong Estate in Sham Shui Po and Cheung Hang Community Hall in Tsing Yi, where he met residents and volunteers of a community care team, which had set up booths for free health checks.

On Monday, Lee made a reciprocal visit to Zhou at his office in Sai Wan.