Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday urged the taxi industry to avoid "drastic action" such as strikes, warning such moves would harm the public interest and could be hijacked by people with bad motives.

His comments came after the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association threatened a five-day strike from March 5 unless officials take immediate action against illegal ride-hailing services.

Speaking to reporters before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said strikes would not be good for society.

"Any drastic action is not going to solve the problem. Drastic action may also hurt the interests of normal citizens in the course of their daily going about of their lives. It is not going to receive public support," he said.

The CE noted that many taxi drivers have said they wouldn't support strike action.

The Transport Advisory Committee will meet representatives from both the taxi industry and ride-hailing platforms on Wednesday to discuss the issue.