Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said she will humbly listen to the views of the community to find a way out of the predicament triggered by the extradition bill.

Speaking in a video, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong experienced unprecedented challenges this year.

“We all want to see an end to this predicament. This situation has caused sadness, anxiety, disappointment and even rage.

“As the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I will not shy away from my responsibility. I will listen humbly to find a way out. In doing so, we will uphold the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ and safeguard the rule of law.”

Mrs Lam said the Government must acknowledge its shortcomings and the deep-rooted problems and conflicts that have been accumulating for many years.

However, she remained optimistic about the city’s outlook.

“Hong Kong people have resolved many difficulties before with our resilience and wisdom. I believe we can once again overcome our current challenges and rebuild Hong Kong.

“Let's start 2020 with a new resolution - to restore order and harmony in society - so we can begin again, together.”

The video also featured Financial Secretary Paul Chan, who said Hong Kong’s economy suffered serious blows in the past year.

“We have launched several rounds of relief measures to ease the pressure on small and medium enterprises and the public. In the financial market, we have taken defensive steps. The financial system and Linked Exchange Rate System remain stable. The markets have been functioning orderly.

“As long as we can restore social order and with our collective hard work, we will overcome the current hardships and scale new heights.”

Also in the video, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong and Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan spoke about ways the Government could tackle the issues of unemployment and housing.

“Influenced by both internal and external factors, our unemployment rate has been edging up. Through the Employees Retraining Board, we provide skills upgrading courses with training allowance,” Dr Law said.

He added that the Government will substantially improve the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and Working Family Allowance Schemes.

Mr Chan said: “To help increase the housing supply, we have been working hard on land development, planning and change of land use. We also endeavour to compress the time taken for infrastructure development as well as design and construction of public rental housing so as to speed up supply.”

Mr Chan added the Government will take forward transitional housing projects to ease the hardship of families waiting for public rental housing and those living in poor conditions.