Hong Kong finance chief calls for defence of ‘core values’ after revealing he is mulling leadership run

John Tsang says freedom, openness, diversity and rule of law are foundation of city’s success, in a blog post that has hallmarks of an election pitch

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In his weekly blog, Tsang said he had been pondering what he could do to build a better Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 1:15pm, 4 Dec 2016Updated: 11:18pm, 4 Dec 2016

Hong Kong finance chief John Tsang Chun-wah has said the city must defend its core values such as freedom and rule of law, in a blog post on Sunday that read more like an election pitch as he mulls a run at the city’s top job.

In his weekly blog, Tsang said he had long been pondering what he could do to build a better Hong Kong for the next generation. The comments come just a day after he dropped his strongest hint yet that he would throw his hat into the ring for the chief executive election next March.

It also came amid reports that another aspirant, New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, would announce her bid at an election rally later this month.

A source who received an invitation from Ip told the Post that the event would be held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on December 15.

Tsang argued on Sunday that core values such as freedom, openness, diversity and rule of law were the foundation of the city’s success and were also the “Hong Kong spirit” that should be defended.

He called on Hongkongers to bridge the rift amid the highly intensified social and political divisions which had torn the city apart over the past few years.