{
  "id": 8392036,
  "title": "Hong Kong leader says firms must strive to survive despite government support",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/hong-kong-leader-says-firms-must-strive-to-survive-despite-government",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-19T05:42:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3368093/hong-kong-leader-says-firms-must-strive-survive-despite-government-support"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, has defended government measures to boost the economy and improve livelihoods, emphasizing that businesses must also contribute to their competitiveness and survival. Lee stressed the importance of first developing the economy to generate the resources necessary to enhance people's livelihoods. He highlighted funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help them expand into new markets, adopt e-commerce, and integrate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). However, Lee acknowledged that a competitive society demands effort from both the government and business operators. He explained that while the government provides support through funding and expanding market potential, businesses must also find ways to enhance themselves. Lee's policy address unveiled ten measures aimed at supporting SMEs' development, upgrades, and transformations, such as extending the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation's offer of 20 free buyer credit checks for another year until September 2027. Despite these efforts, some business owners remain concerned about their survival. Eric Ho, a restaurant owner in Wan Chai, revealed that despite investing HK$6 million (US$764,778) in establishing his business in 2023, he faced difficulties due to the decline in local diners and a lack of tourists. Ho suggested that the government could attract more overseas visitors and stabilize the imported labor scheme to prevent wage issues caused by higher imported labor costs compared to local wages. Lee also addressed other aspects of residents' well-being, including urban management, traffic congestion, and water pipe issues, emphasizing the need for public confidence restoration after the Wang Fuk Court fire. He assured that the policy address outlined several priority measures, and further reforms would follow the Independent Commission's report submission in October.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong’s leader defended measures in his policy address to boost the economy and improve livelihoods, stressing that businesses must also do their part to remain competitive and survive, even with government aid. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Saturday that the livelihood section was the longest and broadest in scope in his policy address when asked about residents who had yet to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/hong-kong-civil-servants-to-get-hourly-leave-but-businesses-unlikely",
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      {
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    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}