'No chance' for border reopening in near future
Top News| Michael Shum 10 Jun 2022
Those hoping to travel to the mainland and back will have to wait longer. SING TAOHong Kong has no chance of reopening the border with the mainland in the near future, says Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
Lam said much effort is needed to strike a balance between two different sets of virus measures in the mainland and overseas.
Based on Hong Kong's talks with the mainland from September to December, she said she "cannot see possibilities for a border reopening in the short future."
The issue has to be passed on to incoming Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, whose officials will continue talks with the mainland.
Although Lam said she is in no position to speak on behalf of the next administration, she also called on Lee to keep expediting housing supply.Over the past five years, authorities have sought land for 21,000 transitional housing units and built 40 percent more public flats than the previous government, she said.
But she believed the housing supply will keep growing significantly in the coming 10 years as it takes a long time for the effects of land policies to emerge.
"There might be difficulties while pushing forward a project - and not only do I mean red tape and procedural problems - but there is still much work to be done," Lam said.
Lam also said she is thrilled by the development in innovative technology as well as in arts and culture in the past five years.
"The result of the unprecedented HK$150 billion injection to the development of innovative technology is starting to show, and I hope Hong Kong can reach a leading position internationally in life science and medical technology," Lam explained.
On conservation, she said: "In the past 15 years, I have been pushing for historic building and monument conservation in different capacities, but I have also respected private property rights, which is a very important aspect of Hong Kong's business environment."
Lam introduced the "Invigorating Island South" initiative for the revitalization of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in her 2020 policy address.
But she said yesterday that if the owner of the restaurant and Ocean Park failed to find a way to rescue the restaurant, then the rescue plan had to be dropped.
