HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will organize a number of celebratory events to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Executive Council meeting, he stressed that it’s a significant day and an important milestone for the whole nation.

“This year’s theme is ‘Love our country, love Hong Kong and love our community’. Various districts will hold different activities. Particularly after the improvement of the district governance, we are confident that there will be more activities with warmer atmosphere,” he said.

There will be concessions and discounts similar to those offered during the HKSAR Establishment Day on July 1, said Lee, adding that various bureaus and departments will also be involved in organizing activities to drum up the festive mood across the city, he added.

Taxi and ride-hailing services

Highlighting the importance of passenger safety, particularly third-party insurance, he acknowledged there was a demand for ride-hailing services. The government was still collecting views at this stage and will submit a legislative proposal later, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu

Asked about the regulations of online ride-hailing services, the CE said it took time for the Transport and Logistics Bureau to study the demand for point-to-point personalized transport services and relevant regulations, including the number of vehicles, licenses required and safety standards.

Highlighting the importance of passenger safety, particularly third-party insurance, he acknowledged there was a demand for ride-hailing services. The government was still collecting views at this stage and will submit a legislative proposal later, he said.

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Agreeing that there was a strong call for taxi service improvement, he said: “We should put in place better management by introducing incentives and competition, with measures to penalize offenders ... Our proposal is to launch a taxi fleet regime with enhanced management so that operators will provide better services,” Lee told the media.

The government will grant five taxi fleet licenses later this year in hopes of enhancing taxi services under healthy competition, the CE added.

Eligibility of child swimmer

Lee expressed concern over an incident where a 9-year-old local swimmer was denied a chance by the Hong Kong China Swimming Association to participate in a championship.

“Each association draws their own rules in resource allocation and competition arrangement. But if problems arise, a pragmatic approach is needed to resolve the issues.”

The Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China set up a working group in 2020 to look into enhancement measures over the governance of sports associations, he said, adding the findings will be announced soon to bolster efforts to promote sports and assist athlete training.

Light public housing

Referring to recent oversubscription for 4,400 units in the government’s maiden Light Public Housing initiative, Lee said the authorities would strive to build more light public housing if temporary land with short-term tenancies were available.

At least 10,119 applicants are contending for about 4,400 units in Yuen Long’s Yau Pok Road and Ngau Tau Kok’s Choi Hing Road, which closed its application period on Monday.

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Noting that more young people forwent their pay rises to meet the eligibility for public housing, Lee encouraged them to fight for their dream as successful people built their career through hard work and there were measures available to help first-time homebuyers.

“If they, particularly single young people, only want public housing, my advice is think again,” he stressed.