Former Hong Kong police officer and chief executive’s communications secretary to be government’s new information coordinator
- Ex-police officer John Tse, the chief executive’s communications secretary, to take on government information coordinator’s role unfilled since 2017
- Tse, who led police media conferences during the 2019 disturbances, worked closely with John Lee who was security chief at the time
A Hong Kong policeman turned public relations adviser is the government’s new information coordinator and will spearhead its communications from Saturday in a role left unfilled for seven years.
John Tse Chun-chung, who joined the force in 1999, is Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s communications secretary at present.
He became a well-known face during the social unrest in 2019 when he led the force’s daily press conferences while still a serving chief superintendent.
Lee, security chief at the time and who worked closely with Tse during the disturbances, asked him to join the Chief Executive’s Office after he was elected in 2022.
“Mr Tse … has served in various positions in frontline departments and bureaus with years of experience in communication with the media,” a spokesman for the Chief Executive’s Office said on Friday.
“In the past two years, he has served as the communications secretary in the Chief Executive’s Office, where he formulated public relations strategies and planned public functions for the chief executive, and managed the chief executive’s social media arrangements, demonstrating outstanding performance,” he added.
The spokesman said the government was confident that Tse’s “years of experience in public administration, media engagement and public relations” would ensure he made a major contribution to its work.
Tse also headed the police public relations branch, and was seconded to the Security Bureau in 2022 to take a lead role in a new anti-coronavirus task force during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also used to manage the force’s Weibo account.
The information coordinator’s role was created by the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa.
The post-holder is responsible for the formulation of media and public relations strategies and coordination of the timetable for the introduction of major policies.
Other duties include liaising with ministers’ press secretaries to ensure effective implementation of strategies, as well as monitoring public and media reactions.
Tse will earn between HK$249,500 (US$31,850) and HK$264,800 a month.
With Tse’s appointment, Lee has formed a new team to manage his administration’s public relations.
Apollonia Liu Lee Ho-kei, the deputy secretary for security, was last month appointed to succeed Fletch Chan Wai-wai as director of information services.
Liu spearheaded the passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance through the legislature in March.
She had earlier written letters to foreign media, such as Britain’s The Guardian, to “condemn” their reports on the new domestic national security law.
The post of information coordinator had been vacant since 2017 because then chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor did not appoint anyone to the role over her term.
The only one of the four previous post-holders appointed from inside government was Stephen Lam Sui-lung, a veteran bureaucrat who was made information coordinator in 1999.
Andy Ho On-tat, appointed by former city leader Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and June Teng Wai-kwan, given the role by Leung Chun-ying, were both media veterans.
After Teng quit for health reasons, Leung appointed Andrew Fung Wai-kwong, formerly a Democratic Party member, as the government’s new point man for media relations.
Fung, however, hit the headlines himself on a variety of occasions after controversial remarks and blunders. He was also mocked for comparing his new job with that of the White House press secretary.
