New Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang (
Speaking a day after his return from Beijing where he was sworn in Friday as chief executive, Tsang gave a rousing speech and expounded on his belief that Hong Kong was on the road to better fortunes.
In reference to the city's current economic revival, Tsang, 60, said: "Shakespeare once said `There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.'"
"I believe that there is such a tide now, running strongly in Hong Kong's favor. I believe that the people of Hong Kong are ready to march on to greatness," Tsang said.
He said: "As New York is to North America and London is to Europe, we must firmly anchor Hong Kong's position as the premier business and financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region.
"These are no easy tasks, but we will not shirk them. My strength, inspiration, and faith in our ability to rise to challenges came from the `can do' spirit of the people of Hong Kong," he said.
Tsang, nominated unopposed by an 800-member, pro-China election committee, said he would "move at full steam" to deliver on the promises of his election campaign.
"My action plan for the next two years will focus on better governance, greater social harmony and stronger economic performance," he said.
Tsang said he had already submitted his nomination for the post of Chief Secretary for Administration, his deputy -- widely expected to be former financial services secretary Rafael Hui (許仕仁) -- to Beijing.
However, he refused to confirm that he had nominated Hui, saying only that he expected his deputy to be patriotic and capable of handling the pressure of the job.
Tsang said he would immediately begin restructuring the government and its team of advisers, seeking to "capture the insight and wisdom of the community as a whole for the betterment of Hong Kong."
He added: "I will meet with legislators from different political groups and independents as soon as possible to listen to their views and suggestions about my future policy blueprint."
Tsang, who will serve until 2007, replaces Tung Chee-hwa (
Tung stepped down two years early in March, citing ill health, but is widely believed to have been edged out of his job by China's leaders, who were exasperated at his bumbling governance.
Although loyal to Beijing, Tung was hugely unpopular and his last years in office saw massive anti-government and pro-democracy marches in the streets of Hong Kong in 2003 and again last year.
China hopes that Tsang, a popular figure considered moderate by Hong Kong people, will defuse social tension and refocus minds on the city's resurgent economy.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS