China's top advisory body gains over 50 new Hong Kong faces
Delegates from city to Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference include young business leaders, professionals, pro-establishment politicians and former officials
More than 50 new faces from Hong Kong have been appointed to China’s top political advisory body, in one of the biggest reshuffles for the city’s delegates in recent years.
They included young business leaders, professionals, pro-establishment politicians and former officials.
The body consisted of 2,158 delegates from around the country, including about 200 from Hong Kong.
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Most of those from the city, 124 in total, were affiliated with the Hong Kong group, one of 34 groups in the CPPCC’s national committee. Others were appointed to groups representing the country’s economic, sports, education and medical experts.
Among Hong Kong politicians, transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming, of the Liberal Party, and engineering sector lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance party, were appointed for the first time.
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The party had six delegates in the CPPCC.
The pair joined pro-establishment lawmakers Leung Che-cheung and Starry Lee Wai-king as new delegates on the national advisory body.
Lee promised to be a communication channel between Hong Kong and the mainland.
“I will continue to ask [Beijing authorities] to adopt more measures that will benefit Hong Kong people living, working or finding jobs on the mainland,” she said.
Lee, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city’s largest pro-Beijing party, replaced her predecessor Tam Yiu-chung, who was stepping down.
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In a statement, Li said that as a delegate, he would be bringing the voice of Hong Kong’s capital market to Beijing and improving communication.
They replaced a group of senior members and Hong Kong tycoons, including Peter Woo Kwong-ching.
From the professional field, architect Bernard Lim Wan-fung was dropped from the list, though he had merely worked for a term starting from 2013.
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Meanwhile, several veteran Hong Kong officials also had their appointment confirmed. They included ex-World Health Organisation head Dr Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun; former food and health minister Dr Ko Wing-man; and ex-security chief Lai Tung-kwok.
