John Lee condemns US meddling in new Legco exchange
Chief Executive John Lee held the first of a new series of ‘interactive and consultative’ exchanges with the Legislative Council on Thursday, condemning US pressure on local judges as he addressed a range of issues from external threats, to Hong Kong’s labour shortage and the government’s duty to promote correct values. The new format replaces the question-and-answer exchanges the CE previously had with lawmakers, and is designed to enhance two-way communication while also acting as a consultation session for policy formulation. "It gives us better quality of exchange,” Lee said.  “This combines question and answer session and motion debate, as well as policy consultation in one. We focus on macro issues and strategic issues," he told lawmakers. Lee also said he hopes the televised discussion will help the people better understand the spirit of the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress and the ‘Two Sessions’ of the nation’s legislature and top advisory body. During the exchange, the CE said he 'severely condemns' US politicians for their criticism of Hong Kong after the implementation of the national security law, saying the administration will put in place measures to sanction behaviours that undermine national security.  "US politicians on a number of occasions make use of excuses to criticise the Hong Kong SAR and they have resorted to ugly accusations. They put pressure on judges and try to interfere adjudication of cases of judges," he said.  Asked by Third Side lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen about the recent pulling of books from public libraries, Lee stressed the government is responsible for promoting correct values. "When it comes to public library’s collections, these are the books that we recommend reading by the public. Of course we are not going to recommend any book that may carry the wrong values, or that may have copyright issues," he said.  "Of course it is up to an individual to decide whether to read these books, but as far as promoting the reading of such books by the government, I think the government is responsible for deciding the values of books to recommend." The Chief Executive was also asked whether the government is doing enough to tackle the city’s labour shortage.  Lee said his administration has been acting swiftly to address the problem by, for example, introducing different talent schemes.  He added that officials will continue to work on boosting manpower in the health, construction and public transport sectors – where labour shortages are most serious.