All await Beijing signals as Lam set to visit

Staff reporter

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will head to Beijing for a duty visit in the coming two days, sources have said.

It is understood Lam will fly to the capital via Shenzhen this afternoon and will report the latest Legislative Council election results to President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

The trip could settle questions as to whether Lam will seek reelection in March and the exact date of reopening the border.

Lam was scheduled to go to Beijing last week, but had to postpone the trip due to yesterday's election, according to Sing Tao Daily.

With the results of the election in hand, Lam will depart for the capital today at the earliest, sources told the sister publication of The Standard. She will be accompanied by the director of the Chief Executive's Office Eric Chan Kwok-ki.

It is expected that they will return to Hong Kong on Thursday. But another source said Lam could return to Hong Kong on December 27.

Lam has refused to comment on whether she will seek a second term and there is speculation she will discuss the issue with Beijing.

So far, no one has declared interest in running in the chief executive election in March.

But sources said officials including Lam and Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po have a chance to become Hong Kong's leader for the next five years.

Lam's duty visit to Beijing last year, which was scheduled on December 10 to 13, was postponed and then held online on January 27 due to the pandemic situation in Hong Kong.

It was the first time since the handover that a Hong Kong chief executive did not pay a duty visit to Beijing in December to report on the latest social, economic and political situation to the state leader.

During the online meeting, Xi complimented Lam for "having taken a firm stand" in national security issues.

Xi also praised Lam for her efforts in fighting the pandemic, saying she had stopped the riots in Hong Kong and put the city back on track.