SCS meets with Mainland officials participating in Civil Service Exchange Programme in Hong Kong (with photos)

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has launched the Civil Service Exchange Programme in collaboration with Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhan and Hangzhou, as well as Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Starting from the beginning of this month, the programme is hosting 30 Mainland officials in Hong Kong for an exchange in the HKSAR Government, lasting from four weeks to three months.

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended the orientation programme for Mainland officials participating in the exchange programme today (December 5) and met with the participants. The Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, and the Head of the Civil Service College, Mr Oscar Kwok, were also present.

     Addressing the meeting, Mrs Yeung said that civil servants from both sides play a crucial role as the backbone of their governments in promoting collaboration between the Mainland and Hong Kong. Apart from broadening the horizons and experiences of civil servants, the HKSAR Government aims to provide opportunities for civil servants from both sides to understand each other's government operations and public administration principles through attaching to each other's side under the Civil Service Exchange Programme. This initiative enhances mutual understanding and lays a solid foundation for closer co-operation in the future. Mrs Yeung expressed hope that participants would engage with colleagues in Hong Kong and other cities, sharing valuable insights and experiences to deepen mutual trust and co-operation, thereby embodying the spirit of win-win collaboration to contribute to national development. She expressed her gratitude to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council and the participating cities for their ongoing support for the programme.

     The 30 participating Mainland civil servants, mostly at division director or deputy division director level, come from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Ten are from Shenzhen, while each of the other cities has four representatives. They will first attend a one-week orientation programme at the Civil Service College. Afterwards, they will be assigned to various departments of the HKSAR Government, including the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Digital Policy Office, the Environmental Protection Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Innovation and Technology Commission, Invest Hong Kong, the Planning Department, the Trade and Industry Department, and the Transport Department. The exchange will cover important areas such as trade and finance, innovation and technology, town planning, environmental protection, transport management and the GBA development. Participants will attend departmental briefings, working meetings, industry forums and site visits, and engage in specialised projects, which allow them to exchange professional knowledge and experience with Hong Kong civil servants. This aims to promote continuous improvement in public services and foster integration and development between Hong Kong and the Mainland.

     Under the co-ordination of the HKMAO of the State Council, the Civil Service Bureau has organised the Civil Service Exchange Programme jointly with a number of Mainland municipalities since 2002. Through the programme, officers from Hong Kong and the Mainland are attached to each other's side to better understand each other's structures, regulations, policies, operations and more to foster co-operation and communication and gain first-hand experience of the host city's latest developments.