Incoming leader John Lee has revealed the full members of the Executive Council, a team of top government officials who will advise the administration for the next five years.
The Executive Council consists of 21 Principal Officers, who were announced last Sunday, as well as 16 unofficial members confirmed on Wednesday.
Nine of the members are existing Executive Directors, while seven are new additions. The current coordinator, Bernard Chan, will leave the advisory body and member Regina Ip will take his place.
Lawyer Ronny Tong and former Hong Kong University Council chief Arthur Li are among those staying, while lawmakers Gary Chan and Stanley Ng will join.
The government describes the Executive Council as a “body to assist the Chief Executive in formulating policies”. The council is consulted on areas including the introduction of bills to the Legislative Council and other important policy decisions.
reggae ip
President of the New People’s Party and current member of the Legislative Council, Regina Ip will lead the Executive Council as convener. She was Hong Kong’s security secretary from 1998 to 2003, when she resigned in the wake of a huge protest on July 1 against proposed security legislation.
arthur li
Arthur Li is a member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Basic Law Committee of Beijing’s top legislature. He was Secretary of Education and Human Resources from 2002 to 2007.
More recently, as head of the Hong Kong University Council, Li oversaw the removal of the Pillar of Shame, a statue honoring those who died on June 4, 1989, as part of a broader campaign against the remembrance of the tragedy in the city. He said after the removal that the Pillar of Shame was a “scam” and “irrelevant” to the crackdown.
stanley ng
Stanley Ng, a lawmaker and chairman of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, is also one of Hong Kong’s deputies in China’s top legislature. In 2020, Ng accused the Hong Kong Journalists Association of supporting “violence” and “inciting sedition”.
gary-chan
Gary Chan is a member of the Legislative Council and deputy chairman of the city’s largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Improvement and Progress of Hong Kong. He also chairs the Legislative Council’s security panel.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chan said it was an “honor” to have been appointed to the Executive Council. “The members of the Executive Council this time are extremely varied, with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences. [We] I can definitely work with the CEO to do a good job of making policy,” he wrote.
I’m Wingman
Ko Wing-man is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was Hong Kong’s secretary for food and health from 2012 to 2017, during which he was the most popular chief official in the city according to a survey.
Jeffrey Lam
Jeffrey Lam, a lawmaker and deputy chairman of the Pro-Beijing Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong party, is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
tommy cheung
Veteran legislator Tommy Cheung has been a member of the Legislative Council since 2000, representing the restaurant industry. He is also chairman of the pro-Beijing Liberal Party, as he was previously a district councilor in the Eastern District.
Joseph Yam
With nearly 40 years of public service experience, Joseph Yam is currently a Research Fellow at the Lau Chor Tak Institute for Global Finance and Economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He served as the first CEO of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority from 1993 to 2009.
Ronny Tong
Attorney Ronny Tong is coordinator of the Path of Democracy think tank. He was previously a legislator and president of the Hong Kong Bar Association. Tong, who has described himself as a Democrat, has defended the arrests of the editors of the defunct Stand News and the closure of Victoria Park on the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown last year.
Lam Ching Choi
Lam is chairman of the Commission on the Elderly and the Council for Sustainable Development. He is also the executive director of Haven of Hope Christian Service, an organization that provides health and rehabilitation services.
In 2019, when authorities pushed through a controversial amendment to the extradition bill despite mass protests, Lam said he hoped the government would consider suspending the bill.
Martin Liao
Lawyer and legislator, Martin Liao is one of Hong Kong’s deputies in China’s highest legislative body, the National People’s Congress. He is also chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Kenneth Lau
Kenneth Lau, a district councilor, legislator and chairman of Heung Yee Kuk Rural Residents’ Body, is also Vice Chairman of Wing Tung Yick Holdings Limited.
According to an annual declaration of interests, Lau owns more than 400 pieces of land in the New Territories and six houses in Tuen Mun, among other properties. He inherited his position at Heung Yee Kuk from his father.
moses cheng
Moses Cheng is the Chairman of the Council of Hang Seng University of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, the city’s Anglican Church. He was also the first president of the Insurance Authority.
Margaret Leung
Former CEO of Hang Seng Bank and Chairman of the Executive Committee of NGO Community Chest, Margaret Leung is Treasurer of the University of Hong Kong. She is also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Chan Kin-por
Chan Kin-por is a legislator and chairman of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council. He was president of numerous insurance organizations and was previously vice president of the police watchdog group the Independent Police Complaints Council.
Elizabeth Chan
A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Eliza Chan was previously director of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks.
