In this file photo, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor holds a press conference at Central Government Offices on Sept 22, 2020. ( PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that freezing the assets of local media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, including his majority stake in media publisher Next Digital, would hopefully reinforce the Asian financial hub's status by ensuring national security.
Lam, speaking at a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, said that the move against Lai illustrated how seriously the government discharged its duty to safeguard national security.
"The problem …does not only threaten Hong Kong people's security, but also that of 1.4 billion Chinese people."
It marked the first time a listed firm has been targeted by investigators by invoking the legislation and fuelled concerns about the city's broader investment environment
Hong Kong authorities said on Friday they had frozen assets belonging to the jailed media tycoon under a new security law.
It marked the first time a listed firm has been targeted by investigators by invoking the legislation and fuelled concerns about the city's broader investment environment.
"This will not undermine our status, but we hope it reinforces it so that no one can use our financial system to carry out acts endangering national security," she said.
Lam did not comment further citing ongoing legal proceedings.
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Among Lai's assets that were targeted included local bank accounts of three companies owned by him as well as the 71.26 percent stake in Next Digital worth around HK$350 million (US$45 million) based on Friday's closing share price. The shares remain halted ahead of a company announcement regarding the freeze.
Also at the press conference, Lam said Hong Kong can “do much better” in its coronavirus vaccination efforts given the city has an ample stock of vaccine and a dedicated infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam said starting Tuesday, the government would send medical workers to offices of private companies to provide on-site inoculation for employees.
Lam said the city had two million unused vaccine doses left even after two million shots had been administered.
As of Monday, 1,18 million Hong Kong people, or 18 percent of the entire population, had received at least the first vaccine dose, among them 803,848 being fully vaccinated.
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Referring to a scheme that the city had planned to roll out in mid-May that would exempt non-Hong Kong residents from Guangdong from quarantining in Hong Kong, Lam said it was still on track.
That arrangement, however will not be reciprocal, with those travelling from Hong Kong still subject to the mainland’s quarantine policies.
The CE said the scheme was expected to be rolled out this month, although sporadic locally transmitted cases had been recently identified in Anhui and Liaoning provinces on the Chinese mainland.
Hong Kong has not seen any untraceable local cases over the past 24 days except for that of a four-year-old boy, a kindergarten student, whose origin of infection is still under investigation. The weekend's positive case prompted quarantine orders for more than 20 children, staff and family members connected to a local kindergarten.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong reported one imported COVID-19 case, pushing the city's tally to 11,826. The sole new patient was a 42-year-old asymptomatic man flying in from India, according to a statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection.
Also on Tuesday, Macao extended the quarantine period to 35 days from 28 days for visitors from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Nepal or Brazil who have positive antibody test results, according to a government statement issued Monday. Visitors from other places who have antibodies will have their quarantine extended to 28 days from 21.
With Reuters inputs