Politics

This article was first published on June 22, 2005.Help me to make a new start: Tsangby Gary Cheung and Dikky SinnDonald Tsang Yam-kuen on Tuesday (June 21, 2005) called on local people to join him in starting a new chapter for Hong Kong following his appointment as chief executive, saying he would safeguard the overall interests of the city with concrete action.The salesman-turned-leader pledged to engage in dialogue with people from different walks of life and reach out to the public through district visits.“Without Beijing’s and the public’s support, I will have nothing,” he said.Premier Wen Jiabao, who signed the appointment decree installing Mr Tsang as chief executive after a State Council meeting, said he believed the Hong Kong government under Mr Tsang could reap greater achievement...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial.Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs is addressing a national security law forum on Saturday as part of his third inspection visit to the city to assess its progress on multiple fronts.Xia Baolong’s attendance at the forum, which is being held to mark the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed legislation, is a focus of the official’s five-day visit.Commentators have suggested that the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) director may use the event to share his latest assessment of national security threats in the city and lay down the direction for the next phase of the law’s...

Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs held a three-hour closed-door face-to-face discussion with local tycoons and business leaders during the third day of his inspection trip to the city on Friday.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, reportedly visited Ocean Park in the afternoon before checking out Lamma Island.The exchanges on Friday morning, held at the government headquarters in Admiralty, marked the first time since last November that Xia had direct talks with local business elites in Shenzhen.Tycoons at the meeting included Peter Lee Ka-kit, chairman and managing director of Henderson Land Development; Gordon Wu Ying-sheung, chairman of Hopewell Holdings; Stephen Ng Tin-hoi, chairman and managing director of the Wharf Holdings; and Sonia Che...

Hong Kong needs to completely overhaul its civil servant review mechanism rather than add another layer of assessment to the existing system if the administration wants to improve performance and governance, observers have said.While one lawmaker said the government should implement clear assessment criteria for civil servants, others stressed that objective performance measures for senior management were difficult to gauge.“I think any changes would have to follow a fundamental review of the whole system,” said Mike Rowse, the former director general of InvestHK who worked in government for 28 years. “Just adding a new layer … might not help much.”Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu had said authorities were considering introducing a new accountability system that would punish underperformin...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs held discussions with the heads of several universities in the city on Thursday, in the first publicly known meeting with leaders of local tertiary institutions.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, also met politicians and was expected to visit other parts of the city on the third day of his fact-finding visit.His discussions with the heads of the institutions came on the heels of six publicly funded universities climbing the ranks of an influential league table produced by education information firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).The University of Hong Kong (HKU) rose to 11th place, surpassing two prestigious tertiary education institutions in mainland China.The meeting, held at government headquarters, ran for nearly three h...

The United States has resumed processing student visas after a month-long halt, with applicants now required to make their social media profiles public for review, a move that has left many Hong Kong hopefuls feeling uncertain and betrayed.The country’s State Department said on Wednesday (US time) that it was once again processing visas for academic, vocational and exchange students.Appointment slots at the US consulate in Hong Kong for such visas quickly became available following the announcement.Washington’s back-and-forth stance on foreign students has left Hong Kong hopefuls stuck in limbo.One such hopeful, Mandy*, said the recent shifts in the country’s policy were a “betrayal” of America’s long-standing image as a beacon of education and opportunity.“For many, this delay … [meant] p...

Beijing’s point man overseeing Hong Kong affairs has begun a five-day fact-finding visit to the city, his third since taking office.Sources have said Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, will focus on assessing the city’s progress on both the development and security fronts.The Post examines the importance of Xia’s visits to the city – from his past itineraries to messages issued to city officials.1. What will Xia be doing during his visit?Xia will attend a national security law forum on Saturday to mark the Beijing-promulgated law’s fifth anniversary.According to several sources, Xia will meet university chiefs and senior educators on Thursday, to discuss how local varsities can boost technological collaboration with mainland China and nurture and retain global...

A senior Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has arrived in the city for a five-day visit in which he is expected to meet representatives from the education and business sectors before giving a keynote speech on national security.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, arrived in the city at around 5pm on Wednesday via the Shenzhen Bay border crossing, and sources said he would attend a dinner hosted by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in the evening.Xia’s trip, which follows a seven-day inspection visit he made to Hong Kong in February last year, is mostly to attend a key forum on Saturday marking the fifth anniversary of the imposition of the national security law, according to insiders.A source said the trip would help the central government understand...

Authorities are considering introducing a new accountability system that will punish underperforming senior officials with pay freezes, Hong Kong’s leader has said, stressing that it aims to strengthen leadership and improve policy implementation.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the government was exploring such a system, which would complement the existing accountability framework for principal officials that has been in place for 23 years.“I hope to enhance the leadership and roles of senior officials in managing recurring or broad issues within their own departments,” he said before his weekly meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body.“The ultimate goal is to ensure policies are implemented effectively and benefit the public by establis...

Beijing’s point man overseeing Hong Kong affairs will begin a five-day visit to the city to inspect its development and attend a national security forum, the chief executive has said, confirming the Post’s report.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, would arrive in the city on Wednesday and attend a key forum, organised by the Department of Justice to mark the fifth anniversary of the imposition of the national security law, on Saturday.“The main purpose of Xia’s visit is to attend the forum on national security law,” Lee said before his weekly meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body, on Tuesday.“This shows that he attaches great importance to the implementation of the national security l...