Pro-business Liberal Party leader says chief executive should apologise to mainland visitors over protests

Liberal Party leader Vincent Fang Kang has criticised Leung Chun-ying for "failing to apologise to mainland visitors" for local protests against them, in the latest sign of rancour between the party and the chief executive.

Fang was speaking on a Commercial Radio talk show discussing the decline in Hong Kong tourism and retail sales, which has been partly attributed to a drop in the number of mainland visitors.

The head of the pro-business party Leung's introduction of a limit on the number of infant formula milk cans travellers can take across the border and his failure to apologise for protests against mainland shoppers, which he said led to business losses.

"When did the conflicts start to intensify? It was when the restriction on milk powder was introduced. Then a minority of people started to behave impolitely," Fang said, urging the administration to lift the limit.

"The chief executive should have spoken up immediately and made clear that the rude protesters did not represent us Hongkongers. He should apologise to mainland people and let them know those protesters were only a minority and most Hong Kong people still welcomed visitors from the mainland."

Without directly responding to Fang's call for an apology, the government issued a statement hours after his remarks.

"The SAR government is concerned about the impact on Hong Kong's tourism and related industries regarding the decreasing number of tourists which may lead to economic and employment problems," a government spokesman said. "Since pregnant women coming to Hong Kong for delivery and bulk purchase of milk powder are not tourist activities, the government has no intention to change the relevant policies" at present.