He made the remarks during a radio phone-in programme, a day after delivering the blueprint and his annual Policy Address.
Callers questioned him on issues including the city’s low birth rate, public housing supply, youth opportunities and employment.
On the birth rate, Lee said the government would do its best to support people who want to have children.
The new blueprint proposes 11 measures to boost fertility, including extending the HK$20,000 newborn cash incentive for three more years.
He added that reversing the decline is not easy and that it is a problem seen around the world.
“Who can guarantee that if we give a certain amount, there will be how many new babies? No one can answer. So since this is difficult to calculate scientifically, we need to create a comprehensive, fertility-friendly environment,” he said.
“We hope everyone will at least know that the government’s policy encourages childbirth, and that the whole social atmosphere will know that having children is something the government very much hopes people will do. At the very least, we reduce the obstacles.”
On the economy, Lee said the outlook is positive, but individual circumstances and industry conditions vary, and the government would do its utmost to provide support.
“Though the cake has grown larger, some people’s share may not have grown – that may be a problem of that industry. In any policy, we all need to provide a safety net. That is, we do the overall environment well, and where help is needed, we provide support,” he said.
“For such support, the most important thing is to target it correctly. Target it correctly – for example, social welfare – and we do as much as we can. But of course, there will always be some cases where, no matter how we study them, we may not be able to directly target individuals through a single measure; we have to influence them through other policies.”
On support for young people, Lee said the government, together with the business sector, would launch a two-year 30,000 Youth Employment and Internship Programme to facilitate youth employment and development, especially for those with limited or no work experience.
Lee noted that some might ask why the government does not simply hand out cash, but pointed out that “if you write a cheque, you also have to settle the bill”, adding that the current policy is already appropriate.
The blueprint also focuses on stepping up efforts to promote artificial intelligence across various industries while striking a balance with risk management.
Lee said authorities are concerned about people using AI to commit fraud, engage in bullying or carry out other violations, especially crimes using deepfake technology. He said the Law Reform Commission would conduct a study on legislation.
He stressed that the government is currently focusing on education, with the Education Bureau providing guidelines and introducing curricula to teach students to use the technology correctly and enhance their AI literacy.
Lee added that a dedicated task force on minors’ use of social media would be established to review the associated risks, including interaction with AI, and assess the need for more targeted solutions, including legislative and administrative measures.
