'HK's overall interests must come first'

Chief Executive John Lee, reflecting on his leadership in leading the city over the past four years, said he has been guided throughout by the sense that he needs to shoulder a high degree of responsibility, work selflessly and put the overall interests of Hong Kong first and foremost. The last, he said in an interview with Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, is a challenge when faced with parties accustomed to enjoying vested interests as they have made many longstanding problems remain unresolved. Lee cited as an example the Northern Metropolis development, saying officials are working to rearrange the allocation of resources in the mega project so as to better serve the overall interests of Hong Kong, which may trigger a pushback from people and groups with vested interests. The chief executive acknowledged that not everyone would benefit from the mega project immediately but urged the public to trust the government, saying officials have to approach development objectives from a macro perspective to serve Hong Kong’s long-term collective interests. Lee also said he's always guided by a sense of impending crisis even in what he described as times of stability, as new governance challenges may arise at any time. Another mega project with far-reaching impact is Hong Kong's coming to grips with the ascendancy of artificial intelligence, with Lee saying that while the government is promoting the use of the technology across departments and industries, it also raises ethical and privacy concerns, alongside economy-wide impact. This, he said, indicates that officials have to plan ahead to avoid being caught off guard when the impact turns out to be negative. Edited by Edmond Fong