By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-25 14:16:35 | Updated at 2024-12-26 01:34:03
11 hours ago
A duty visit to Tokyo by a delegation of Hong Kong lawmakers was in line with protocols, the president of the city’s legislature has said, after concerns were raised the budget included business class seats at a time when the government is running a deficit.
The delegation comprising Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen and seven other lawmakers visited Tokyo from December 21 to 24 on a trip aimed at strengthening ties with Japan and better understanding its latest developments.
According to a proposed expenditure listed on a Legco document before the trip, the lawmakers were expected to fly business class as the flight would take more than four hours each way.
According to one flight price tracking website, a direct round trip in business class between a Saturday and Tuesday in late December and January costs between HK$12,400 (US$1,600) and HK$23,000.
After returning to Hong Kong on Tuesday, Leung said the duty visit complied with guidelines and did not exceed its budget.
“We did not go on a leisure trip. We had to meet with 11 parliament members yesterday. The itinerary was very tight,” he told the press.
