HONG KONG – Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong, will travel to Beijing for a three-day visit next week to discuss ways to resuscitate the economy of the financial hub, which has been hit by the pandemic and the anti-government protests.
The leader said on Tuesday that she would leave for Shenzhen in the mainland on Nov. 3 to undergo a coronavirus screening before leaving for Beijing.
“My trip to Beijing this time is solely on the economic side that is in light of the economic situation, which of course is very serious in Hong Kong,” she said.
“We need more support measures from the mainland of China, especially in light of the overall direction that Hong Kong should move to better integrate with the mainland of China especially in the Greater Bay Area.”
Earlier this month, the leader who is supported by Beijing, postponed her annual policy address in order to travel to the Chinese capital for discussions on how Beijing can support the economy of the former British colony.
The policy address is slated to be held by the end of November.
She has repeatedly stressed the significance of the Greater Bay area, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in China’s Guangdong province, as an important pillar to provide economic benefits to the city.
The financial hub is reeling from the impact of the pandemic crisis as well as the series of anti-government protests.