CHINA / Taiwan, HK, Macao

HK public servants urged to maintain competitive advantage
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-04-03 16:03

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui on Monday called on government services not to stand still but help maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness with their innovation and effectiveness.

At the Public Sector Reform Conference at Asia World Expo held here Monday, Hui vowed to address concerns over jobs, new public and technologies arising from reforms to better the city's public services.

"To maintain our competitive advantage, we need to continue to ensure that Hong Kong provides a business-friendly environment, including an effective and well-managed public sector," Hui said, warning the public of possible decline for the metropolis in future.

Though Hong Kong remains one of the world's leading business centers and the freest economy, Hui said, the city's reform of public management was still in a long a journey of improvement given challenges and opportunities for everyday management.

According to Hui, the HKSAR government had met much of the public demand for expanded services without compromising quality since 1997 despite a 17 percent cut in the number of civil servants

Hui said the government is developing a one-stop youth portal so Hong Kong's young people can conveniently access a full range of public services related to education, career development, health, sports, leisure, culture, social work and civic education.

He said Hong Kong are not lacking in ideas or initiatives to carry out further public sector reform program for the people while maintaining a small government.