Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam insists duty visit to Beijing not about any possible re-election bid
- Lam is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in the capital later this week
- She stresses she will focus on updating leaders about Hong Kong’s economic and political developments
Hong Kong’s leader shrugged off a suggestion she was travelling to Beijing to make a pitch for her possible re-election bid, just hours before she was to fly to the Chinese capital for her annual duty visit on Monday.
“This year, there has been the pandemic, so I will reflect to the leaders that Hong Kong residents very much hope that the city’s border with the mainland can reopen soon,” she said.
The Chief Executive’s Office confirmed Lam would be in the capital until Thursday. She is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.
It is customary for the chief executive to visit Beijing in December to brief the country’s leaders on the city’s political and economic developments of the past year.
Lam’s trip was postponed last year because Hong Kong was battling a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, with the daily caseload sometimes exceeding 100 a day. She instead took part in a virtual meeting with Xi and Li on January 27.
Lam told a press conference she was glad she could travel to Beijing in person this time.
