John Lee Ka-chiu

Two days after China's central government, the State Council, approved the resignation of John Lee Ka-chiu from the post of Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong in accordance with the Basic Law, Lee announced on Saturday via an online press conference that he is joining the upcoming Chief Executive election, a decision made out of "the loyalty for the country, love for the city, and sense of duty toward local residents." 

The election for the sixth Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will begin on May 8.

The next five years will be a crucial period for Hong Kong from being well governed to well developed, and Lee said he is willing to take this historical duty to help push forward the city's development. 

If successfully elected, "I intend to focus on following policy areas including resolving issues based on a result-oriented approach, Lee told reporters on Saturday afternoon. "I intend to effect changes on government's philosophy and ways of doing things," he said, noting that the move aims to enhance the effectiveness of policy implementation. 

Also, Hong Kong must maintain its character of being an international metropolis. Lee said he is confident that with a firm foundation based on the rule of law, Hong Kong will maintain its competitiveness. 

"The chief executive must protect the overall interests of Hong Kong and the new government will continue to safeguard the rule of law, which is the core value and cornerstone of our governance, to ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and 'one country, two systems,'" Lee said. 

To ensure Hong Kong maintains its competitiveness, Lee emphasized that it is important Hong Kong residents' rights and freedoms are protected well in accordance with the Basic Law, which will be practiced clearly and in a transparent way to everyone. 

When Lee explained his decision in running for election, he put the loyalty for the country at the top of his considerations, and he told reporters that being loyal is a fundamental requirement as the CE must be a patriot. 

Facing some deep-seated problems such as the housing shortage and social livelihood gap, Lee said he will push forward reforms, including maintaining some measures that the current government has been adopting, for example, the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy brought up by the incumbent CE Carrie Lam. 

"Any policy favorable for Hong Kong's development would be within the scope of my consideration," he said, noting that the strategy will only solve parts of problems while the government should speed up on solutions for housing problems. 

When asked if he would be unfamiliar with other areas like finance as Lee has been working in the security sector over the past decades, he said that the Chief Executive needs to bring the team together and create synergy of "1+1" bigger than two. Lee said that once he is elected, he would invite talent with experience, visions and knowledge to play out different roles.