One could be considered demanding for judging Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his governing team’s performance after less than two months in office. That said, it is fair to say that the top echelon of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government is steadily progressing in achieving good governance, putting President Xi Jinping’s expectations of the new team into action.
President Xi’s first and foremost expectation of the new governing team, as expressed in his speech delivered at the inauguration ceremony for the sixth-term HKSAR government on July 1, is to “further improve its governance”. As Hong Kong is back on track and has departed from the tumultuous situation witnessed in the past few years, enhancing government efficacy has naturally become the top priority for the new HKSAR administration.
Hong Kong is confronted by an unending pandemic as well as a complicated international geopolitical landscape. Espousing the previously conservative and noninterventionist governing philosophy will not help the city rise above the existing hurdles. As the new governing team is composed of staunch patriots who love Hong Kong as much as the country, they are all ready to take on the responsibility of achieving efficient governance amid formidable challenges, both internal and external. With a much more favorable political landscape in Hong Kong following the political reforms of the past two years, coupled with a strong will to serve the city, the new governing team can be counted on to act proactively in tackling the city’s socioeconomic problems.
Being proactive in governance is only the first step. The HKSAR government will need to take the city’s unique advantages into consideration when planning for its future development. This aligns with one of the four “musts” mentioned by President Xi in his speech. As Hong Kong is an urban economy with limited natural endowment, it must give full play to its unique strengths and distinctive development model underpinned by the institutional advantages of “one country, two systems”. On the one hand, Hong Kong is backed by the Chinese mainland’s gigantic hinterland, or a huge domestic market with a complete industrial chain, under the “one country, two systems” framework; on the other hand, the city’s distinctiveness such as its free market, independent currency, independent judicial system, and separate customs territory make it the best platform for mutual access between the mainland market and the rest of the world. This corresponds with President Xi’s assertion that “one country, two systems” is Hong Kong’s greatest advantage. The Chinese mainland, in a continuing reform and opening-up process, offers Hong Kong huge opportunities for economic development, particularly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. John Lee’s administration is expected to put emphasis on policy research with a particular focus on both the international landscape and national conditions. This will aid the governing team in making better policy decisions and formulating more effective strategies. With these strengths and anticipated opportunities, all that the governing team needs to do is to turn them into meaningful deliverables.
One of the proposals mentioned by President Xi is to “continue to create strong impetus for growth”. To expand Hong Kong’s development potential, we will need talented people who can think outside the box. This explains why the new governing body now comprises both civil servants who are familiar with administrative matters and experts from various sectors. For instance, innovation and technology is widely regarded as a new growth engine for the city’s economic development. Professor Sun Dong, the new secretary for innovation, technology and industry, is a specialist in biomedical technology, working at the forefront of industry development within the country and around the globe. His remarkable breadth of knowledge will take Hong Kong’s innovation and technology initiatives to the next level and empower the city to develop into an innovation and technology platform connecting the country with the rest of the world.
Apart from the need for new development initiatives, there are also some deep-seated problems awaiting effective solutions from the governing team. One of the challenges posed by an aging population is the intensifying pressure on the city’s medical and healthcare system. Owing to some daunting obstacles, these problems have been left aside to fester.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau has started taking bold measures to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative consequences of the city’s stringent quarantine regime, such as easing quarantine requirements and facilitating cross-boundary travel between Hong Kong and the mainland.
He can be counted on to take bold and effective measures to reform the city’s overstretched public health system, addressing its longstanding problems and meeting people’s needs for swifter and more convenient healthcare services.
Meanwhile, the authorities have taken swift action to solve the dilemma facing Hong Kong students who study in the mainland. New priority border-crossing arrangements are being made for these students who recently reported difficulties in registering with their schools on time for the new semester because of quarantine requirements, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin announced on Tuesday. And earlier in July, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki launched a task force to lift underprivileged students out of intergenerational poverty, a longstanding problem that hinders upward social mobility for many young people. To the relief of Hong Kong residents, less than two months after its swearing-in, the new governing team has started to put its money where its mouth is, working toward the promised good governance.
The author is senior research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.