I never considered submitting resignation: CE

I never considered submitting resignation: CE

Wendy Wong reports

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she has never considered submitting her resignation to Beijing despite acknowledging the authenticity of a leaked recording that revealed her wish to quit.



Lam said she has taken the “difficult path” to continue to lead Hong Kong and take the SAR out of its troubles.



Reuters News Agency on Monday night published a recording of the CE, in which the SAR’s leader had told a group of business leaders that she would quit if she had a choice. In the audio, she is heard saying she couldn’t resign because the issue had been raised to a “national security level”.



Lam also rejected speculation that the recording may have been purposely leaked to the media by her government or even by herself.



"I was and still am very disappointed that my remarks in a totally private and exclusive session, which was a lunch actually, which is clearly subject to Chatham House rules, were recorded and then passed to the media. I think this is quite unacceptable," she said.



"So to further suggest or to allege that myself or the government has any role to play in this thing is absolutely unfounded," the top official said.



She also made it clear that she has never even “contemplated” the idea of quitting, nor discussed this with Beijing authorities, stressing that staying in the job is her own choice.