John Lee jetting off to Middle East, Southeast Asia a stopgap measure, not a solution for Hong Kong’s economic woes, experts say
- Emerging market focus understandable given current geopolitical tensions, but city will still need traditional markets such as US and Europe, observers say
- ‘Division of labour’ sees officials exploring new markets while private sector maintains old ties with the West
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu or his ministers have gone on 13 overseas visits in the seven months since he took office, mainly to countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Observers have said the promotion efforts are reasonable amid ongoing tensions between China and the West, but add that the city still has to maintain relations with its existing markets.
A count by the Post found that Lee and his ministers made 13 trips between July 1, 2022, and January 31 this year – eight to Southeast Asia, two to the Middle East, two to mainland China and one to Switzerland.
A delegation of several officials to the same destination was counted as one trip, while one official visiting more than one country on the same trip was counted as more than one visit.
The Southeast Asian trips took Hong Kong officials to Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, while the Middle East visits were to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
