Former chief secretary admits that help from Beijing and its liaison office in the city could be ‘counterproductive’ for her election campaign
The front runner in Hong Kong’s leadership race has vowed to tackle anti-mainland sentiment and distrust of big business at their source if she wins the chief executive election this month. Even as Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor emphasised the need to bridge the divide between the city and the mainland, she admitted that help from Beijing and its liaison office for her could be “counterproductive” for her campaign. The 59-year-old former chief secretary is now leading a three-horse race after former security minister Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee crashed out of the race on Wednesday, having failed to secure the minimum 150 nominations to formally qualify as a candidate. Lam has submitted 580 nominations from the 1,194-member Election Committee that will decide the winner on March 26. In a wide-ranging interview with the on Wednesday, Lam said that if she took up the hot seat and came under pressure from Beijing’s liaison office, she would make it clear it was her prerogative to govern Hong Kong under the autonomy promised by the central government. Lam, who is seen as Beijing’s preferred candidate for the top job, noted growing anti-mainland and anti-business sentiment in recent years, which would affect the city’s long-term development.
