Matthew Cheung | Gov’t will not flinch in face of difficulties

Matthew Cheung

Matthew Cheung, acting chief executive in Hong Kong, said yesterday that the local government will never flinch in the face of difficulties resulted from the months-long social unrest.

The government will, as always, continue to fully implement the “one country, two systems” principle and strictly enforce the law, Cheung said at a press briefing before the Executive Council meeting this morning.

“In the face of unprecedented pressures and difficulties, we will remain in unity and take all-out efforts to stabilize the society. We hope calm will return to Hong Kong and Hong Kong will get out of the predicament,” Cheung said, adding that the HKSAR government will also step up efforts to address the deep-seated problems.

When talking about disruptive activities on Sunday, Cheung said many residents were disappointed that violence returned to the street after a week of calm and the scenes of violent incidents made people feel uneasy.

The police had to use the minimum force to disperse rioters who blocked roads and committed arson, Cheung said.

The official also said some of the relief measures rolled out by the government since August will be implemented in the next month to reduce the burden of Hong Kong residents amid an ongoing economic downturn.

In January, the HKSAR government will grant a month of extra allowances for the elderly, the disabled, the working families and transport, among others, benefiting more than 1.4 million residents. The government will also pay a month of home rent for about 780,000 low-income households and subsidize power use for about 2.7 million households, Cheung said.

Cheung said more measures will be implemented in the first quarter, including allowances to 900,000 students and financing support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

“The array of measures will support enterprises, stabilize employment and relieve the burden of residents,” Cheung added.

The measures come in response to the economic headwinds battering Hong Kong in recent months, which have seen the economy contract in two consecutive quarters. Most analysts believe growth will not return before the second half of 2020. DB/Xinhua