Lam told reporters the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act signed into U.S. law last week was “wholly unnecessary“, as the former British colony grapples with its first recession in a decade.
Lam did not specify what additional measures would be taken to boost economic activity, saying details would be announced in the near-term. The government has previously offered relief of about HK$21 billion to support the economy, particularly the transport, tourism and retail sectors. In more bad news for the economy, China on Monday banned U.S. military ships and aircraft from visiting Hong Kong - a rest and recreation stop for the U.S. Seventh Fleet - in retaliation for the U.S. legislation.Hong Kong has been rocked by six months of sometimes violent unrest in the biggest challenge to Chinese stability since the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.