Lee on Friday thanked the central government and the people of Hong Kong for the trust they place in him when making his speech at the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term HKSAR government.

He said that Hong Kong has made impressive achievements on multiple fronts over the past two and a half decades. “It has been recognised as the world's freest economy, the world's No. 3 global financial centre and the fifth most competitive economy around the globe. Hong Kong is also the world's largest offshore Renminbi hub and the world's No. 1 in terms of air cargo throughput.”

Lee said that the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" is the institutional safeguard of Hong Kong and the cornerstone of maintaining Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. It is also a successful national policy that allows Hong Kong to maintain its unique strengths.

He added that Hong Kong has encountered various challenges like the global financial, the riots in 2019, and the COVID-19 pandemic. “Thanks to the full support of the central authorities, the vitality and strength of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, as well as Hong Kong citizens' diligence and determination to seek improvements, Hong Kong succeeded to overcome each and every challenge and move forward to scale new heights.”

“I will strive to comprehensively and accurately implement the principles of "One Country, Two Systems", "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, to safeguard the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined under the Constitution and the Basic Law, to safeguard our country's sovereignty, national security, and development interests, and to ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong,” Lee said.

Lee stated that the enactment and implementation of the national security law has made Hong Kong to restore order from chaos. And the improvement of the electoral system has enabled the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong". “It is therefore imperative that we should cherish and uphold the system for a long time to come, and we should make good use of it to effect sound governance.”

He said the next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity, the government will press ahead to overcome challenges and adopt a result-oriented approach to solve social problems.

Lee mentioned that development is the “gold key” to resolving social problems and improving people's livelihood.

He and his governing team will tackle the problem of land and housing; adopt a scientific and precise management approach to bring under control the COVID-19 epidemic situation; formulate a comprehensive youth policy and development blueprint; and enhance the education system to nurture a new generation of youth with an affection for China, a global perspective and a perspective of the overall situation as well.

“Fellow citizens, we are now all set at a new starting line. We are in no way complacent about our past achievements, and will strive to overcome challenges and problems ahead. Let's join hands and stay united in passing on the Hong Kong legacy of courage and strong will to overcome challenges.” he concluded in the speech.