Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee cast doubt on the value of exchanges with Japan due to “extremely erroneous remarks” that damaged the atmosphere for exchanges between China and Japan.
Lee emphasized that government arrangements must align with “national dignity” and the interests of Hong Kong residents, and his administration would pay attention to Beijing’s positions on the matter.
The Hong Kong government has been aligning itself closely with national policy, including issuing travel alerts to Japan and considering cancellation of business exchange events.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee cast doubt on the value of exchanges with Japan, bringing the Asian financial hub in line with Beijing’s broad cooling with Tokyo following a dispute over Taiwan.
“These extremely erroneous remarks have severely damaged the atmosphere for exchanges between China and Japan,” Lee told reporters Monday. “They have also made us doubt the effectiveness of many exchanges.”
Lee’s first public remarks on the spat follow a Kyodo News report that the city’s investment promotion agency told Japan’s envoy that it would not take part in an event to promote business exchanges. The city’s leader emphasized that government arrangements must align with “national dignity” and the interests of Hong Kong residents, adding that his administration would pay attention to Beijing’s positions on the matter.
The Japanese news agency added that Hong Kong said it wished to cancel a separate meeting planned for early next month with Japanese Consul-General Jun Miura on economic policy. The Hong Kong government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The latest furor between China and Japan came after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi became the first sitting Japanese leader in decades to publicly link a Taiwan Strait crisis with the possible deployment of Japanese troops. Her remarks drew swift retaliation from Beijing, which warned citizens against traveling to and studying in the country.
Hong Kong followed China in issuing the travel alerts. Most Chinese airlines are waiving cancellation fees on tickets to Japan, while the city’s de facto flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is permitting passengers to modify bookings.
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has been aligning itself closely with national policy. In 2023, Hong Kong followed the central government in curbing imports of seafood from parts of Japan, in response to a contentious plan to start releasing treated wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.