Hong Kong leader cancels China trip in blow to reopening hopes

September 1, 2022 Hongkong Crime & Legal

John Lee had been due to visit Shenzhen and Guangzhou to discuss ways to resume travel with the Chinese mainland.

Hong Kong leader John Lee has cancelled a trip to mainland China aimed at resuming cross-border travel, illustrating the quagmire facing the financial hub as it struggles to exit nearly three years of economically devastating isolation.

Lee said on Wednesday he would discuss the border situation with mainland Chinese officials online instead of face to face due to rising COVID-19 cases on both sides of the border.

Lee, who took office following a Beijing-managed “patriots-only” election in May, was scheduled to travel to Guangzhou and neighbouring tech hub Shenzhen to discuss ways to restart travel between Hong Kong and mainland China.

“We will discuss the cross-border arrangement for residents in Hong Kong and mainland China and I hope that, after thorough discussion, a consensus can be reached,” Lee told reporters, describing the virtual talks scheduled for Thursday as the “most convenient” option.

Hong Kong, which follows a less stringent version of China’s draconian “zero-COVID” policy, has been largely cut off from the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world since authorities closed the borders in February 2020.

The pandemic curbs have pummelled economic activity, strained residents’ mental health, and fuelled a mass exodus of people and capital from the international financial centre, which for decades has marketed itself as “Asia’s World City”.