John Lee dismisses ‘pro-Xiaohongshu’ governance criticism by Paul Tse as ‘dangerous’

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has hit back at the “pro-Xiaohongshu” governance criticism made by Election Committee constituency lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun, saying his “dangerous” wording incites conflict and reminds him of the 2019 unrest. 

During the Legislative Council Chief Executive Q&A Session on Thursday, Lee also admitted that citizens' mood would be affected when the economy is faced with challenges, especially those impacting the capital market. 

He said that activities under the Day and Night Vibes campaign would see people gather and lead to certain problems. Yet, those problems cannot be turned into habits and see citizens ignoring the law and relevant regulations. 

Lee continued that the government has the responsibility to cater to the needs of all social classes. Some may benefit 90 percent from a policy while the others may benefit less, but this shouldn’t be grounds to incite conflicts. 

This came after Tse criticized the police of indulging themselves in the Day and Night Vibes by issuing parking tickets non-stop and asked if the government had a tight budget. 

Tse also accused Lee’s governance style was more “pro-Xiaohongshu”, the users of which were mostly mainlanders who don't pay any taxes, distancing the policies from taxpayers in Hong Kong. 

Tse blasted the government’s failure at explaining the solid waste charging scheme which infuriated the public as well. 

Lee responded that it was “pedantic” and “dangerous” to incite regional conflicts and to inflate a minor issue into a huge conflict, adding that the SAR welcomes every visitor. 

Lee also said Tse’s wording reminds him of those that surfaced during the social unrest in 2019. He pointed out that such sentiments must be combated immediately and must not grow any further.