HK officials appointed for sixth-term government

The officials of the incoming sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region -- who were appointed by the central government on Sunday -- maintain the firm political stance of being patriots and safeguard the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong affairs authorities said on Sunday.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, on Sunday appointed 26 principal officials of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR based on the nominations put forward by the incoming HKSAR chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu. They are set to take the oath on July 1, which also marks the 25th anniversary of the HKSAR's return to the motherland.

After the unveiling of the list, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement the officials safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests, respect and safeguard the country's fundamental political system and safeguard the constitutional order defined by the Constitution and the Basic Law.

They made contributions to protecting the country's security and demonstrated a firm stance in major political struggles including dealing with the social turmoil in 2019, implementing the national security law for Hong Kong and improving the electoral system, the office said.

The new governing team is diverse and includes people from different backgrounds, including experienced government staff, professionals like lawyers, engineers, medical experts and scientists, as well as new residents in the city, it said.

The office expressed its expectations for the new team to make progress in fully implementing the "one country, two systems" principle and solving issues of the people's concern, including housing and the gap between rich and poor.

The team is also expected to further promote Hong Kong's integration into the country's overall development plan and improve the city's international competitiveness, it said.