Chief Executive John Lee says one of his major goals this year is to lead Hong Kong out of the epidemic and back to normality.

The other goal, Lee said in his New Year address, is for his administration to do all that it can to implement the measures proposed in the Policy Address.

He said while the city steadily returned to normality last year, with a number of large-scale activities being held and the social atmosphere improving, he hoped 2023 will be even better.

Lee said they aim to see to it that people's lives return to what they were pre-Covid times as far as possible, and his administration will promote social and economic activities in the community.

He added that economic activity should pick up rapidly as Hong Kong has eased Covid restrictions and is looking to resume quarantine-free travel with mainland China.

"It is expected there will be a huge increase in demand for consumption. Different sectors - optimistic about the future - are on an active search for more manpower, in order to seize the opportunity of economy recovery," he said.

Lee said Hong Kong will "shine again on the world stage" by leveraging the mainland and engaging the world.

He also said in an interview with RTHK that he is planning on a duty visit to the Middle East early this year to attract businesses and talent to the SAR.

The leader said he also welcomes Hong Kong people who have left in the past three years due to Covid and other reasons to come back from overseas, saying the city is their home.
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Last updated: 2023-01-01 HKT 15:25
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