Young Hong Kong blood among new CPPCC appointees
Retiring veterans make way for younger local delegates to nation's top consultative body
The latest appointments to the nation's top consultative body mark the rise of a younger generation of advisers to Beijing.
A number of prominent veterans have retired, clearing the way for their children or fellow party colleagues to join as new members of the body.
The list of new appointees to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was revealed yesterday after a four-day meeting of its standing committee in Beijing.
Among over 2,200 CPPCC members, Hong Kong delegates filled more than 200 of the seats, roughly the same proportion as served in the five-year term that is expiring.
Prominent new delegates include Thomas Pang Cheung-wai, secretary-general of the Beijing-friendly Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong; the president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association, Irons Sze Wing-wai; and Lau Yip-keung, son of the chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk rural affairs body, Lau Wong-fat.
Their appointments coincided with the departures of Lau and DAB veteran Jasper Tsang Yok-sing; both served as Beijing advisers for about two decades.
The new delegates will begin their five-year terms in March.