The incoming Hong Kong Special Administrative Region chief executive John Lee attends a news conference with his newly appointed team, including Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, incoming Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki and incoming Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok in Hong Kong, China, on June 19, 2022. Photo: ThePaper.cn

The State Council, China's cabinet, approved the list of key officials proposed by the six-term chief executive for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Sunday. By forming a new team with some new faces, the new government is expected to unveil a new chapter for Hong Kong on the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland. 

Among 26 officials appointed by the central government, veteran official Eric Chan Kwok-ki will serve as the Chief Secretary while Paul Chan Mo-po will remain the Financial Secretary. 

Erick Tsang Kwok-wai will remain as Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, and Chris Tang Ping-keung will continue serving as Secretary for Security. Senior Counsel Paul Lam Ting-kwok, former Bar Association chairman, will replace Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah as the new Secretary for Justice. 

All the principal officials will take their oaths of office on July 1, which marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. 

Experts from both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland said that the new team is characterized by its practical attitude with the firm stance of being loyal and patriotic, who can stand growing challenges posed by the US-led West with the attempt to contain the country through the city. 

As some have the background of working in the Disciplined Services, this also helped shape their personalities as those with courage and the determination to safeguard the national security and the country's interests, they said. 

Three officials have a background of working in the Disciplined Services, including Eric Chan, who used to work in the immigration office and is now the secretary-general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR. 

Erick Tsang and Chris Tang also have backgrounds in the Disciplined Services. 

John Lee Ka-chiu, the six-term chief executive for the HKSAR government, thanked the central government for its approval of the officials whose names he submitted on Friday, and he also fully appreciated the trust and support that the central government granted to him and his governing team. 

"The new team is formed of current government officials, lawmakers and business representatives, and it has a practical perspective as most of them have worked in the government agencies or in public affairs," Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

It's believed that there won't be any issue of getting along together, as compared with the previous governing team, they share a consensus in political ideas, which will help implement policies and make progress in order to enhance public trust in the new government, he said. 

Three new positions - namely deputy positions for the Chief Secretary for Administration, Financial Secretary and Secretary for Justice - will be created. 

Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, the current vice-chairman of the city's largest pro-establishment group the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress, will serve as the Deputy Secretary for Justice. Cheung is also a Legislative Council member and a member of the Executive Council meeting. 

Multiple veteran administrative officials and those with professional backgrounds are joining the governing team. Other professionals outside the government will also join the team. 

For example, Algernon Yau Ying-wah, chief executive of the Greater Bay Airlines, will serve as Commerce and Economic Development Bureau chief. Chung-Mau Lo, chief executive at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, will serve as the head of the Medical and Health Bureau.

There are six female officials in the team, accounting for one-quarter of the total, which is also the highest number compared with previous governments, Lee said, noting that with these diversified backgrounds, the team is loyal and unified with strong executive capabilities, aiming to achieve results and gain the trust of local residents.

The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong sent congratulations for the appointment of the new team on Sunday. It maintains the firm political stance of being patriotic, safeguarding the "one country, two systems" principle unswervingly, and safeguarding the sovereignty, security and interests of the development of the country, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement on Sunday. 

Those officials respect and safeguard the country's fundamental political system and safeguard the constitutional order defined by the Constitution and the Basic Law. They have demonstrated a firm stance and courage in a number of political struggles, including dealing with the social turmoil triggered by the anti-extradition law movement in 2019, the implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong and the improvement of the city's electoral reform system, the central government's office said. 

The new team is also diversified by including representatives from different social spheres, and some have vast experience working in local governance, while others have professional backgrounds as lawyers, medical experts, scientists and education workers, the office said. 

They are also expected to fully implement the "one country, two systems" principle correctly and make more progress in fixing issues concerning Hong Kong residents such as housing woes, the office said, noting that the new team is also hoping to advance the city's integration into the country's overall development plan.

The new team is facing some urgent tasks including work related to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the city's return to the motherland and the possible opening of borders with the mainland in coming months, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs at Nankai University, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"To ensure that the basic principle and political ethics of being patriotic are thoroughly implemented in the daily work, they need to make progress on issues of concern and promptly communicate with the central government," he said, noting that for example, making some breakthrough on the border resumption issue could be a way of gaining public confiden