The newly appointed Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa will prioritise formulating Hong Kong’s first five-year plan, the city’s leader has said, citing her rich experience in government as a key strength.
“She is the best candidate among all as she has a solid foundation in working and communicating with the civil servants, and the network she established with the Legislative Council will be good for pressing ahead with the five-year plan,” Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Monday.
Lee’s remarks followed a state media report on Beijing’s decision on Monday to appoint the 61-year-old former permanent secretary for environment as the constitutional and mainland affairs minister, upon his nomination.
The city leader said the most important task for the new minister would be to formulate the first five-year plan for Hong Kong.
Lee added that he had screened some candidates for the position, and he believed Tse’s 38-year experience in the administration would help her press ahead with the plan.
The appointment was announced two months after the resignation of Erick Tsang Kwok-wai in January, who cited poor health, including elevated prostate cancer markers in his blood, as the reason for stepping down.