All but one of the 21 Hongkongers who were in Israel or Iran have left those countries safely, Hong Kongโs leader has said, adding that escalating tensions in the Middle East will not affect the cityโs efforts to develop markets there.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the Immigration Department had received inquiries from 21 Hong Kong residents who were in Israel or Iran as of Monday.
โTwenty of them have already departed safely. The department will continue to maintain close contact with the remaining one Hong Kong resident and provide appropriate assistance,โ he said, adding that local authorities would maintain close contact with Beijingโs foreign ministryโs arm in Hong Kong as well as relevant embassies.
Despite the escalation in tensions in the Middle East, Lee said the conflict would not affect Hong Kongโs further cooperation with countries from the region.
โNo matter how the world changes, economic and trade development must proceed, and we will all see the importance and necessity of cooperation,โ he said.
โWhether it is the Middle East, Hong Kong, or other places, I believe that every government is working hard in other areas to ensure that economic development is not affected, and should work even harder.