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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu held his first closed-door dialogue session with Legislative Council members on Tuesday morning, seeking to encourage candid exchanges and strengthen cooperation on reforms.
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Lee arrived with Legco President Starry Lee Wai-king at 10am for the session, which lasted about 90 minutes.
Senior officials attending included Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun and Director of the Chief Executive’s Office Carol Yip Man-kuen.
According to an earlier notice from the Administration Wing, Lee was expected to open the meeting by sharing his experience in putting the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” into practice.
The session had an open-ended agenda covering national, local and international affairs, as well as lawmakers’ experiences in carrying out their duties.
The discussions were intended to strengthen cooperation on reforms while maintaining an appropriate balance between scrutiny and collaboration.
Government sources earlier said the off-camera, closed-door format was designed to facilitate “warm and in-depth dialogue” in a relaxed setting. Lawmakers were encouraged to speak candidly and share their views freely.
Speaking after the meeting, Starry Lee said the city’s leader and lawmakers had engaged in a “sincere, warm, and in-depth” exchange. She noted that lawmakers deeply valued the opportunity, with 15 members speaking and sharing their thoughts.
Lee added that lawmakers also shared insights from their recent national affairs study trip to Beijing, focusing on how to translate their observations into concrete actions to help Hong Kong align more proactively with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan.
For instance, after visiting a mainland “12345” public service hotline center, lawmakers expressed interest in touring Hong Kong’s “1823” hotline centre to explore how the local service could better serve the public.
She stressed that the legislature and the executive branch must work together to achieve results, adding that they would maintain constructive interactions through various channels to address pressing livelihood issues.
