Source: CCTV.com

08-08-2008 19:07

Mr. Donald Tsang has been the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since June 21, 2005. He was re-elected on March 25, 2007 as the third-term Chief Executive, and was formally appointed by the Central People's Government on April 2, 2007. His new term of office will run until June 30, 2012. As part of our coverage of the Beijing Olympics, Up-Close was pleased to interview Donald Tsang, and to hear about the preparatory work done for the equestrian events held in Hong Kong.

Mr. Tsang said in the Up-Close studio that Hong Kong was well prepared to host the Olympic equestrian events. Asked whether the local hot climate would affect the performance of the riders and horses, he pointed out that the previous Olympic host city, Athens, also has hot summers and that all athletes must prepare for different conditions, as competitions always involved unexpected factors.

In September 1995, Donald Tsang was appointed Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, the first Chinese national to hold the position after 150 years of British incumbents. He became the first Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1, 1997. During his six-year tenure, he steered Hong Kong through the Asian financial crisis that swept the region in 1997 and 1998. He later masterminded rigorous reforms to improve the local financial infrastructure.

Donald Tsang was educated in Hong Kong, and holds a master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. He has received honorary doctorates from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the University of Hong Kong.

 

Editor:Liu Fang