HONG KONG tourism minister Kevin Yeung and transport minister Lam Sai-hung have been dismissed by the city’s chief executive John Lee.
The sudden move was reported this morning by Xinhua, China’s state news agency. It said the dismissals were approved today by the State Council, China’s decision-making body for provincial governments, after a recommendation by Lee.
Lee was understood to be impatient at what he saw as lack of progress in rolling out a blueprint for the arts and creative industries to grow as part of Hong Kong’s tourism industry. In his Policy Address of October, Lee singled out the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau for delays in releasing the blueprint.
Backgrounder… HK government shake-up proposes Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, headed by Yeung, was formed under a government shake-up announced in October 2021. Part of its brief was to help achieve the China central government’s aim of developing Hong Kong into a “hub for arts and cultural exchanges” under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.
Hong Kong has had mixed results in attracting “mega-events” as part of its post-Covid recovery and to boost the city’s international image. Events such as the music festival Clockenflap, Art Basel and the Rugby Sevens have received widespread acclaim while some cultural events have left leaders in the local events industry bewildered at the level of hype compared to the status of the event.
Yeung is to be replaced by senior civil servant Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, the State Council announced. Yeung’s last public appearance was at the Hong Kong Business of Design Week opening ceremony on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported.
