The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government must prioritize safety in the use of driverless vehicles, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said Tuesday.

Asked about the incident where two driverless buses collided in a restricted area at the Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday afternoon, Lee said the Transport and Logistics Bureau had ordered the Airport Authority to conduct an in-depth investigation and find out the cause of the collision.

The crash occurred near the airport tarmac where one bus hit another one’s right side. No one was injured as neither buses carried passengers.

“The Airport Authority had immediately suspended the bus models involved,” the CE told reporters ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.

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Driverless vehicles have been used at the airport for six to seven years and traveled about 2.3 million kilometers in terms of mileage, he said, adding that safety was of paramount importance whether it was manually-driven vehicles or autonomous driving.

Describing driverless vehicles as “a global and also inevitable trend”, Lee said the government is currently conducting trials using many models of driverless vehicles from different companies.

“The Transport and Logistics Bureau will monitor the trials rigorously,” the CE said, assuring residents of the safety of autonomous driving as the government required high standards.

Xia Baolong’s visit

Asked about his view on the visit by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Lee said Xia encouraged him and the HKSAR government to continue efforts in safeguarding national security, while balancing well its relation with development.

Xia also encouraged the government to capitalize on the current stable situation to build the economy and improve people's livelihood, Lee said.

Xia asked Hong Kong to build high-quality development by implementing the holistic approach to national security and leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages in its connectivity with the mainland and the world.

Highlighting that the government will spare no pains to coordinate national security and development, he pointed out the government will work on four key areas.

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“Hong Kong must fully and accurately implement the 'one country, two systems' principle and thoroughly adopt a holistic approach to national security. Second, adhere to the solid foundation of the rule of law and leverage Hong Kong's international strengths, especially the professional advantages in both common law and civil law systems,” Lee said.

Hong Kong needed to cherish the stable situation and seize development opportunities, he stressed, adding that the SAR also needed to enhance its traditional strength while focusing on reform and innovation.

Construction site safety

Regarding the move by the Housing Authority on Monday to serve notice of re-entry for three construction projects of Aggressive Construction Company Ltd - which was linked to several industrial accidents, Lee reiterated that “we need to ensure safety of workers and protect their lives because their lives are invaluable.”

“I hope new contractors which take over will hire workers already working on the sites. The progress in this regard is advancing,” he said.

Acknowledging that there will be impact on the supply of public housing units, the CE stressed that the authorities will accelerate the progress of other projects so as to minimize the delay of supply.

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CE’s award for civil servants

At the same press briefing, Lee also announced that the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance for civil servants this year will be presented to the search and rescue team for the earthquake in Myanmar and the interdepartmental task force on Kai Tak Sports Park for demonstrating civil servants’ capability and government efficiency.