Chief Executive Lee Ka-chao met with reporters before the executive meeting this morning (14th), reiterating that his position on the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law remains unchanged, and he hopes to complete the legislative work as soon as possible, and expects to complete the legislation this year or next year.
Li Jiachao said that it is the SAR’s constitutional responsibility to legislate Article 23, but the outside world may not fully understand the seriousness of the problems targeted by Article 23. National security risks are “ever-changing”, and the current international relations are complex and changeable, and national security risks still have opportunities to lurk. In Hong Kong, it is necessary to establish a mechanism to comprehensively consolidate national security, so it is hoped that the legislation will be completed as soon as possible, “I hope it can be completed as soon as possible this year, if not, I hope it will be completed next year”, depending on the actual situation.
Li Jiachao: The new measures have nothing to do with the developer’s bidding intention
A number of media reported yesterday that the Lands Department had included national security clauses in the bidding documents for the transfer of several government lands, and many large real estate stocks fell significantly yesterday. Li Jiachao was asked about the situation and said that stock market fluctuations are affected by different factors. As for those who intend to bid for land, they will consider factors such as market sentiment, international situation development, and Hong Kong’s economy. They are all viewed from the perspective of business.
Li Jiachao said that he believed that the addition of the national security clause had nothing to do with the developer’s interest in bidding for the land. He also said that maintaining national security is an important responsibility of the SAR government, and the real estate industry also supports this approach.