John Lee Is The Only Valid CE Candidate: Govt

The government on Monday officially confirmed that John Lee is the only "validly nominated candidate" running in next month’s Chief Executive election.

The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, chaired by Financial Secretary Paul Chan, and the Registration and Electoral Office, confirmed that the 786 nominations garnered by Lee from the territory's 1,500-strong Election Committee are valid.

Shortly before the government announcement, the former chief secretary told reporters that, on election as CE, he intends to begin talks with mainland authorities immediately on reopening the border.

Lee said he understands that many SAR residents and foreign nationals want to cross to the mainland from the territory, and this will be an issue that tops his agenda.

He conceded that while it won't be easy, building trust is crucial.

“My experience of discussing border reopening with the mainland in the past tells me that we must honestly explain Hong Kong’s situation to them. And we should understand what mainland requirements are in order to find a solution.”

He also vowed to build what he called a "progressive culture" in the civil service.

“A lot of civil servants have been making great efforts to do things well, and they’re committed officers as well, and they have a lot of capabilities. It’s about how to synergise and resonate so that we can build a team which can solve problems collectively and make the biggest achievements,” he said.

“What I will do is, first of all, I will create this team spirit and I will be asking them to do things that will create results. And then through this process of seeing results and then reinforcing with more results, the culture will be built. It will be progressive. That is important.”