Lessons learned have helped to improve policy initiatives, Hong Kong leader John Lee says

Lee said his administration had tried to develop the waste-charging scheme starting from “almost zero”, such as having to provide far more food waste-collection facilities at designated housing estates.

“I think the foundation [laid by previous administrations] was a very low and unfulfilled one … [trying to catch up fast] wasn’t enough. So we have to be realistic, and be able to appreciate the real situation, and then think of the right way to deal with it,” he said.

Proposed back in 2004, the multimillion-dollar scheme was passed in the legislature in 2021. It was initially expected to take effect at the end of last year but was postponed twice and finally shelved last month.

Lee expressed satisfaction with the performance of his governing team tasked with a results-oriented approach, insisting there was no need to change the current line-up.

“They are doing fine. And so why shouldn’t they continue? And the team will only be better because you can see the bigger engagement they have with people,” Lee said.

The chief executive described his team as a “ship” that was making faster progress in the right direction each day, saying it had met the key performance indicators he had set so far.

“[If] I compare the government team now with the government team two years ago when I took office, I think we are moving forward,” he said.

Responding to the business sector calling for more initiatives to improve the economy, including raising the duty-free goods quota for visitors from mainland China, Lee said his government was on “good terms” with Beijing to discuss such matters, but would have to “wait and see” regarding enhanced cooperation with other cities across the border due to separate legal systems and policies.

This reflected the challenges of doing business in keeping with the “one country, two systems” policy under which Hong Kong was governed, he noted.

“But I think they are overcomeable, as we have seen over the years. We have overcome them one by one. It takes a little bit of time,” he said.

Lee pointed out that Hong Kong and the mainland were determined to ensure “win-win” situations for both sides as the city was now involved in the “political struggle” between China and its Western adversaries.

He said Hong Kong could leverage on the mainland’s cheaper labour and machinery, while Chinese products in turn could be sent to the rest of the world efficiently.

“[We] also get economic benefits out of it, getting dollar signs out of the joint investment. That is what I call win-win. But then, before the baby is born, we have to overcome the customs regulations. We have to overcome some of the local rules and regulations,” he said.

“But when there is the will, there is always a way.”