HK’s top civil servants begin national affairs study and duty visit in Beijing

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, led a delegation of more than 20 Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments to Beijing and Chengdu on Sunday for a study program and duty visit.

In Beijing, the delegation will attend national studies at the National Academy of Governance and call on the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. 

They will then proceed to Chengdu for a working visit on April 22.

According to Yeung’s social media page, the visit follows a similar training program she led on mainland in 2023 for Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments.

Yeung recalled that the previous trip, the first after the full post-pandemic reopening of the border, was a success and set a positive example for continuous learning within the civil service.

She emphasized the significance of the current trip, noting that it comes as the nation embarks on a new journey with its 15th Five-Year Plan and the city prepares its first five-year plan.

Yeung expressed hope that the tour will allow civil servants to not only gain a deeper and more thorough understanding of the country's major policies and development strategies but also to draw inspiration and insights from them.

She added that she expects the officials to return to Hong Kong with a "forward-looking vision and innovative thinking" to contribute to the compilation of the five-year plan.