Former security chief and chief secretary for administration Mr John Lee Ka-chiu is a very strong candidate, not because he has held a variety of jobs in the government so he knows the ins and outs of the government better than anyone else, but because he has demonstrated strong leadership, devotion and a sharp sense of priorities. He is particularly well known for his steadfastness in dealing with the exigencies during the sociopolitical riots in 2019. The fact that for his role in suppressing the riots and bringing peace back to Hong Kong he was sanctioned by the United States has turned out to be a plus in his bid for the post. It shows that he is fearless and totally committed to his call of duty.
Mr Lee’s strong leadership is proved by his track record of long service in the police. He had risen all the way from the position of probation inspector to deputy commissioner of police. He served as undersecretary for security in 2012 under Leung Chun-ying, and secretary for security under Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. He took up the chief secretary post in June last year.
Some critics worry that his narrow background in the security area would adversely affect his ability to serve as chief executive. But this may also add to his strength. Aware of his limitations, he will be more ready to seek advice. As a matter of fact, his security background no doubt has sharpened his strategic thinking and sense of priority. At the news conference where he announced his bid for the chief executive post, he promised a new chapter of “pragmatic” and “results-oriented” leadership while maintaining the city’s reputation as an international financial hub. This is most reassuring.
Failing to reconnect to the rest of the world for a world city like Hong Kong may produce disastrous effects on the economy
Hong Kong at this hour needs a strong leader focused on results. That means being proactive in seeking policies that work, rather than comfortable policies that are “politically correct” or “theoretically correct” according to some doctrines. As a matter of fact, China’s success today is exactly built on pragmatism. Gone are the days when ideology (“politically correct”) trumps science. “Scientific outlook on development” is already written into China’s Constitution. This means pursuing “sound development that promotes production, prosperity and a healthy ecosystem, building a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and ensuring that the economy is well structured and delivers quality and efficient growth and that the economy grows in harmony with the population, resources and the environment, so that the Chinese people will live and work in a healthy environment and China’s economy and society will develop in a sustainable way.” Adopting the “results-oriented approach” means that Mr Lee will, if he succeeds in getting the key post, keep looking for better ways to achieve better results. He is not beholden to any school of thought or dogmas.
Hong Kong today is first and foremost a global financial center and an international commercial center. Today, however, Hong Kong has been reduced to a shadow of its past. This is a fact that we have to admit. In March, I had written two articles in this column urging that priority be placed on reconnecting Hong Kong to the rest of the world. In “Road map needed to regain HK’s ‘world city’ credibility,” I pleaded: “Hong Kong cannot be cut off from the rest of the world for extended periods. To regain our competitiveness we need a road map to be ‘on the road’ again.” In the second one, “Optimize HK’s anti-pandemic measures to stay competitive,” I expressed my worries about Hong Kong losing the allure for talents and multinational corporations and the danger of starting a possible vicious circle caused by the departure of MNCs’ regional headquarters, feeding on the brain drain and back again, aggravating the departure of more MNC regional headquarters.
This past week a shocking report says that “Hong Kong has ceased to function as an international aviation hub as it curbs inbound flights and quarantines arriving passengers.” This is according to Willie Walsh, director-general of the International Air Transport Association. In his words, “It’s effectively off the map now, and I think it’s going to be difficult for Hong Kong to recover.” We have spent HK$141.5 billion ($18.05 billion) on constructing the third runway in Hong Kong International Airport in anticipation of continued growth in air traffic. Given the intense competition for talents and for business, just having the infrastructure handy is not enough. We need to have the policies that inspire confidence so that forward-looking businesses and talents can be drawn to Hong Kong.
It should be noted that of the four “pillar industries”, the contribution to GDP of the financial services sector in 2019 and 2021 had risen beyond 20 percent; meanwhile, that of tourism had fallen to 3.6 percent and then 0.4 percent. Interestingly, the fall in the direct contribution of the tourism sector to the GDP happened as the GDP itself fell by a shocking 6.2 percent. This may suggest that the indirect contribution of tourism to the economy is huge. Failing to reconnect to the rest of the world for a world city like Hong Kong may produce disastrous effects on the economy.
The author is director of Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute, Lingnan University.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.