China announced yesterday that Hong Kong's new No. 2 leader is Rafael Hui (許仕仁) -- a veteran civil servant who pledged to focus on economic development, creating jobs and making the government more efficient.
Hui, whose expertise is in financial affairs, takes over from Donald Tsang (曾蔭權), a popular career bureaucrat who last week assumed the title of chief executive -- the territory's highest political post.
As the chief secretary for administration, Hui will be responsible for overseeing the government's daily affairs.
Hui's widely expected appointment wraps up a leadership shake-up triggered in March when former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) quit, citing fatigue and failing health.
Tsang said Hui was his choice and had submitted his name to China's central government last Saturday.
"I have worked with Mr. Hui for many years. I know him well. He has the insight, ability and commitment to serve the country and the Hong Kong people," Tsang told reporters.
In his first public comments since being named to the post, Hui pledged to work toward a better Hong Kong.
He said the "government will operate in a highly efficient manner, maintain a level playing field for business, spearhead economic development, increase job opportunities, enhance the standard of government services and make Hong Kong a better place for people to live and work."
In his short speech, Hui didn't touch on the sensitive issue of political reform. The government is considering ways to make Hong Kong more democratic, and Tsang was in charge of the initiative when he was the No.2 leader. Hui might take over the delicate task.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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