Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung today officiated at the inauguration ceremony of the Civil Service College’s new in-depth programme on "one country, two systems" and contemporary China.

Organised by the college in collaboration with Peking University’s Institute for Hong Kong & Macau Studies, the programme aims to further strengthen the training for senior officials and directorate civil servants.

The institute’s director Prof Chen Duanhong joined Mrs Yeung at the inauguration ceremony where they both gave a speech.

Addressing the ceremony, Mrs Yeung thanked the State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and Peking University for their support for the programme.

She said that the programme aims at providing senior officials and directorate civil servants with a more comprehensive understanding of the practice of “one country, two systems” as well as the country’s macro policy and development, with a view to supporting Hong Kong to actively integrate into the country's overall development.

The civil service chief appealed to the participants to seize this valuable opportunity to understand the country’s governance strategies and have in-depth exchanges with scholars of different areas of expertise.

Participants, in their respective positions, should formulate more people-oriented policies and initiatives, so as to jointly contribute to the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”, Mrs Yeung added.

Following the ceremony, the first lecture was held on the topic of “The Communist Party of China (CPC) & Contemporary China”, delivered by Professor of Peking University's School of International Studies Pan Wei.

Prof Pan shared with the participants the CPC's constitutional status and governance philosophy as well as its relationship with “one country, two systems”.

Around 70 participants attended the programme at the Civil Service College. More than 100 politically appointed officials and other directorate officers sat in the lecture via video conferencing.

Held for officers at D1 and D2 rank with potential for advancement, the programme consists of 12 monthly lectures to be delivered by distinguished scholars from the Mainland.