HONG KONG
The Hong Kong Government has set aside HK$23.7 million (A$3.8 million) for “national studies training” for Public Servants over the next 12 months, with a legal expert from Beijing to kick off the program.
The recently retired Chair of the Chinese National Legislature’s Law Committee, Qiao Xiaoyang (pictured) will lecture PS employees on “constitutional matters”.
The official visit by Mr Qiao comes amid Beijing’s rising impatience over the Hong Kong Administration’s stalling in enacting its own national security law to ban any “act of treason, secession, sedition, and subversion against the Central Government”.
It follows an angry address by Director of Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong, Wang Zhimin, who hit out at local activists for challenging China’s sovereignty.
Mr Qiao is scheduled to address senior PS staff, Ministers and members of the Executive Council.
Secretary for the Public Service, Joshua Law Chi-kong said he understood Mr Qiao would be speaking on constitutional affairs.
“It is good for mainland officials to exchange views with local officials,” Mr Law said.
“We will continue to arrange for different courses for Civil Servants with different mainland academies.”
He said this would include courses on campus or visits to mainland cities and rural areas to observe their development and livelihood situations.
A member of the pro-democracy group on the Legislative Council, Charles Mok said the development was worrying.
“The Government has not given up any chance to offer political education to Civil Servants, even though they are not political appointees,” Mr Mok said.
“One can’t rule out they might want to challenge the thinking of Civil Servants.”
Hong Kong, 18 April 2018
