Hong Kong leader calls on local officials to understand ‘vision, spirit’ of Communist Party
- ‘It is basic political ethics for civil servants to be patriotic,’ adds Chen Dong, deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city
- The instructions for public officials were handed down at a ceremony marking the establishment of a new Civil Service College
Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, also said the city’s more than 170,000 government workers should develop an “international vision” and “strategic thinking” to cope with a rapidly changing global sociopolitical environment.
Zhang handed down the instructions via a video-link at a ceremony on Thursday marking the establishment of a new Civil Service College, which is due to open its doors in 2026.
“The college’s promotion of civil servants’ understanding of the national [social and political] structure and national development is also part of the drive to promote national education and patriotic education. But as members of the governing team, civil servants should have a deeper understanding than others,” Lam said.
Noting that the constitution stipulated the centrality of the socialist system, with Communist Party leadership as its “defining feature”, she added: “As civil servants of the Hong Kong special administrative region, especially those officials in leadership positions, they should respect and understand the vision and spirit of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Zhang, meanwhile, said the central government attached great importance to training Hong Kong civil servants, and pledged his office would continue its push for closer cooperation with the city government in that area.
He also cited President Xi Jinping’s diktat in 2017 that local civil servants should “serve the country with a sincere heart”, have “shame for avoiding duties” and share “the same spirit throughout all ranks” to accomplish their work.
