John Tsang sees HK as a solid scrum half
Known as a master of fencing, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah has drawn an analogy from a vastly different sport to illustrate what he sees as Hong Kong's role in the global world of finance. Making a timely reference to the Rugby World Cup, now being played in France, he told participants at the Paris Europlace Financial Forum how Hong Kong could beat its rivals.
'In a global rugby team, Hong Kong would be the scrum half. Quick, nimble, looking for opportunities, directing the action, thinking ahead - not the biggest nor the strongest player on the field, but certainly one of the key players managing the flow of the game. And, as the scrum half has to mix it up front with the forwards, he is usually one of the toughest and most resilient, as well.
'Hong Kong is not in the Rugby World Cup, but we do have a pivotal role to play in the global financial system.'
Chief secretary revisits the Tang dynasty
It was described as a roots-tracing trip. But even with the next chief executive race still five years away, a high-profile ancestral pilgrimage featuring Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen has set pundits chattering about possible political overtones. Mr Tang joined 150 members of the Tang clan visiting Changzhou in coastal Jiangsu province to pay homage to an illustrious ancestor. They attended the commemorative activities for Tang Jingchuan, who was a senior-ranking general in the Ming dynasty battling foreign invaders and a seventh-generation member of the clan of which Mr Tang is a 27th-generation member. Some mainland newspapers gave prominent coverage to the visit. Accompanied by his parents, wife and three daughters, the chief secretary said he hoped his children would feel proud of their family by knowing more about their past.
