Carrie Lam Insists She Does Care About Hong Kong

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that people shouldn't take her comments out of context and when she said recently that she doesn't mind that Shenzhen's GDP has surpassed that of Hong Kong, it doesn't mean she doesn't care about the SAR.

"If I don't care, I wouldn't spend so much time to nurture and promote [relationships] with Shenzhen and the mainland," Lam told reporters before attending the weekly Executive Council meeting.

"If I don't care, I wouldn't put up all the proposals or support measures to [Beijing officials] for them to consider, so that I can take Hong Kong's economy to another high level."

Think tank chief Lau Siu-kai had told RTHK that Lam should be worried about the territory losing its competitive edge and her administration should develop "a sense of crisis".

Last week, Beijing announced new measures to strengthen Shenzhen's development as a tech hub, with President Xi Jinping describing the city as the "engine" of the Greater Bay Area.

But Lam said she wants Hong Kong and Shenzhen to be "dual growth engines".

She said she is looking to increase cooperation between the two cities in areas such as innovation and technology, medicine, and higher education.

The CE said she will fight for Hong Kong's interests not only within China, but also globally. However, she said the "high politicisation" of society is letting the SAR down and making it difficult for the government to act efficiently.