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Kahon Chan

Hong Kong’s leader will conduct his annual duty visit to Beijing to meet state leaders on Wednesday, a week after replacing his transport and tourism ministers and pledging to do more during the second half of his five-year tenure.
Analysts said efforts to stimulate Hong Kong’s stagnant economy and counter geopolitical risks were likely to be priorities in the meeting, while local political issues would remain on the back seat.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will make a four-day duty visit to brief leaders in the capital on Hong Kong’s latest economic, social and political situation, according to a government statement on Tuesday.
A source said a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Lee could take place on Friday.
The director of the Chief Executive’s Office, Carol Yip Man-kuen, and Lee’s private secretary, Vicki Kwok Wong Wing-ki, will also join the visit.
No 2 official Eric Chan kwok-ki and Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will respectively be acting in the chief executive position over the four-day period.
The government has not specified which leaders Lee will meet. The chief executive typically meets Xi, going by past duty visits.
The trip is taking place earlier than last year’s December 17 to 20 visit. A question and answer session between Lee and lawmakers, originally set for Thursday and revealed by the chief executive a week ago, was cancelled following the trip announcement.

Last year’s visit also involved a new arrangement in which the meeting was chaired by Xi with Premier Li Qiang sitting opposite the city leader.
Xi is expected to attend a series of events marking the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to Chinese rule this year from December 18 to 20.
Lee will be meeting state leaders just a week after he announced a cabinet reshuffle last Thursday.
Former housing director Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, 56, took over from Kevin Yeung Yun-hung as secretary for culture, sports and tourism.
Lam Sai-hung was replaced as transport and logistics chief by Mable Chan, 58, who was serving as permanent secretary.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan, who was spared despite fallout over a now-shelved waste charging scheme, did not respond to a reporter’s question about the reshuffle at an event on Tuesday.
Political scientist Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the reshuffle was unlikely to be a priority.
“Termination of the [two officials] is in the past and should not be a focus, which instead should be on Hong Kong’s development in various aspects, and in what other areas would we require Beijing’s assistance and support,” he said.
Initiatives that Lee might propose to Beijing could include opening up Hong Kong firms’ access to the mainland market, facilitating the flow of capital into the city from across the border, as well as allowing mainland residents to make more frequent visits to the city, Lau added.
Veteran political commentator Sonny Lo Shiu-hing said he expected Lee to express gratitude for Beijing’s active efforts in motivating business elites’ support for the Northern Metropolis project, which the city leader had highlighted in his duty visit to Beijing last December.
At a meeting in Shenzhen in early November, Xia Baolong, Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs, called on business leaders to “recognise their responsibilities” and take “concrete actions”.
Three weeks later, 85 leaders of local, mainland and overseas enterprises pledged to support and participate in developing the metropolis in the northern New Territories at a high-profile ceremony attended by Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office.
Lo said the pledge by the businesses on the metropolis plan also appeared to take place just in time, allowing Lee and Xia, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, to present concrete results to state leaders at the meeting.
Political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said he expected the meeting’s public narrative to focus on economic development and how Hong Kong would deal with another four years of Donald Trump in the White House, while political issues would continue to take a back seat.
“There are still a couple of years before Lee’s five-year term approaches its end,” he said.
“Taking into account his work performance and the current overall political atmosphere, I don’t think Lee’s position will be a focus in the meeting.”


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Hong Kong’s John Lee to meet Xi Jinping on Beijing duty visit starting Wednesday

Chief Executive John Lee (left) and President Xi Jinping meet in 2022. Photo: Xinhua

John Lee will be meeting state leaders just a week after he announced a cabinet reshuffle. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong’s John Lee sacks tourism and transport ministers in unexpected move

Mable Chan (left), Chief Executive John Lee (centre) and Rosanna Law. Photo: May Tse

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Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung has been sacked after 2½ years in office. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong leader John Lee (first row, centre), meets members of a visiting delegation of overseas government officials. Photo: ISD

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Hong Kong

Source says chief executive could meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, as city leader makes trip just week after cabinet reshuffle


Source says chief executive could meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, as city leader makes trip just week after cabinet reshuffle.
