Hong Kong’s John Lee vows to ‘remove regulatory shackles’ ahead of policy address

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to “break down walls and remove shackles” for key policy areas ranging from urban development to innovation and technology, as he heard views from the public in the run-up to the unveiling of his next governance blueprint.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Sunday met about 120 residents at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School in Hung Hom, a neighbourhood where he grew up, in the public consultation exercise’s first town hall meeting ahead of his fourth annual policy address.

Residents issued a string of calls and suggestions at the two-hour forum, covering topics such as land, housing and support for the city’s ethnic minority communities.

“There are issues that members of the public care deeply about, so I attach great importance to district consultations,” Lee said after the forum, which was attended by the city’s top three principal officials and nearly all ministers.

“These views will let me have a better grasp on formulating policies and the allocation of resources when I prepare the policy address.”

In a social media post, Lee said his administration had held 30 sessions since the public consultation exercise was launched in June, with authorities receiving more than 4,500 submissions, a 31 per cent increase from last year.

Lee earlier said he had brought forward the policy address to September from October.