January 18, 2013
No. 005
The establishment of the Economic Development Council (hereafter as the “Council”) was officially announced by the Hong Kong Government yesterday (January 17, 2013), with Taiwan's former Minister of Finance Ms. Christina Liu appointed as a nonofficial member. To respond to concerns of various parties over the issue, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) hereby states that the Council is not an official organization of the Hong Kong Government, but a consulting and advisory body established by the Hong Kong Chief Executive to satisfy actual demands for advice, concerning economic development promotions, for the Hong Kong Government. Ms. Liu no longer holds an official position in Taiwan, therefore her service as a member of the Council does not violate relevant provisions under the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau and the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.