Hong Kong lawmakers have highlighted fully reopening the borders with mainland China and the rest of the world as a top demand in their first informal exchange with the city’s leader and his senior aides.
Participating legislators said although top officials in the closed-door talks held in an antechamber of the legislature on Wednesday offered no road map or timetable on achieving quarantine-free travel, they regarded the session as a “good start” to improving the policymaking process.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said after the meeting he was “satisfied” with the session and that the atmosphere was “very good”.
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“Everyone was very frank during the discussion and they also raised some of their thoughts. There were also some very concrete questions brought up,” he said.
Lee highlighted that the exchange was a new starting point, adding that the main purpose of the exercise was to create a better rapport between the government and lawmakers.
“How to make one into 10, from 10 to 100, from 100 to infinity, allowing the legislative-administrative relationship to actually help and benefit citizens under the principle of patriots ruling Hong Kong, this is my dream,” Lee said.
The process would also formalise communication opportunities for officials, Lee said, allowing them to get to know lawmakers and their interests in specific policy areas, as well as providing his team with a chance to consult legislators on their opinions.
Hong Kong’s John Lee to meet lawmakers for informal exchange on Wednesday
The antechamber exchange is a monthly practice started by Lee’s administration, aimed at improving the working relationship between the executive branch and the legislature.
Lawmakers were divided into three groups before the meeting – each with up to 30 members – to exchange views in 25-minute sessions with Lee, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok as well as their respective deputies, alongside Chief Executive’s Office director Carol Yip Man-kuen.
Representatives of the two major parties said speeding up the resumption of quarantine-free travel, expediting processes for housing projects and accelerating economic recovery remained their top concerns.
The city’s largest pro-establishment group, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, proposed introducing a cross-border mechanism to recognise nucleic test results for Covid-19 conducted in Hong Kong and on the mainland, to avoid multiple rounds of tests for travellers.
“We had frank and candid dialogues with officials. Lee told us that it took time to build trust and achieve breakthroughs but it’s good to know that we are on the same page on goals,” party chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king said.
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Lawmaker Joephy Chan Wing-yan, of the Federation of Trade Unions, said she had highlighted the urgency of measures to allow cross-border students living on the mainland to resume classes in the city without quarantine, with the new school year starting soon.
In between meetings, legislators were spotted chatting and socialising in the chamber. Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, who represents the sports, performing arts, culture and publication sector in Legco, was seen taking selfies with other lawmakers.
Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, also an Executive Council member, said there were no fixed seating arrangements during the meetings, with legislators allowed to sit with whichever official they wanted to talk to.
Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said the meeting was a good start to improving communication with top officials. He said he was surprised that he was able to ask five rounds of questions to Yip, the head of Lee’s office.
The next exchange is expected to be attended by bureau chiefs in October after the legislature’s summer recess.
More from South China Morning Post:
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