Hong Kong leader John Lee shrugs off absence of threee top bankers from key financial summit, insists city ‘full of vigour and energy’

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has shrugged off concerns over three top bankers pulling out of the city’s first mega financial summit since the Covid-19 pandemic began, as he struck a cautiously optimistic tone on a return to normality.

Speaking to the press before his weekly Executive Council meeting, the chief executive noted that two bankers had pulled out of the three-day event – which began last week - after coming down with Covid-19, while a third had changed his schedule and would not visit Asia.