Mr Nip obtained his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Hong Kong with a major in economics and a minor in statistics. He had been the Chairperson of the “Social Sciences Society” while studying at the University. The post gave him the exposure and experiences that sparked his interest in public affairs in his early years. Upon graduation, Mr Nip had thought of furthering his studies for a master’s degree but eventually decided to join the Government when he was offered appointment to the post of Administrative Officer, thus marking the beginning of his civil service career. In 2017, Mr Nip accepted invitation to join the politically appointed team and assumed the post of the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs. Given the high level of responsibilities shouldered by him, Mr Nip had been presented with huge challenges during his tenure. He said, “Many things happen every day, and some are hardly predictable. As the then Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, I had to handle matters relating to elections in Hong Kong on the domestic front, while coordinating the planning and implementation of the HKSAR Government initiative for taking forward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development on the external front. In discharging such a variety of duties, you have to assess the situation critically and respond flexibly. All these encounters have enriched my career with memorable experiences.”

Mr Nip (second left), as the then SCMA, sent his regards to a family from Enshi who was waiting to board the chartered flight to Hong Kong at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) early this year has brought cross-border traffic between Hong Kong and the Mainland to a standstill, leaving many Hong Kong people stranded in Hubei province. As the then Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Nip actively liaised with the Mainland counterparts in Hubei to arrange for the return of the Hong Kong people, and led the team of the SAR Government in person to Hubei on a mission to bring back the Hong Kong residents by chartered flights. Mr Nip said, “The first batch of stranded residents returned to Hong Kong in early March this year. Having stayed in Hubei much longer than expected, these Hong Kong people were anxious to go home. Thanks to the concerted efforts of various departments taking part in the mission, close collaboration with the Hong Kong Airport Authority and the airlines concerned, as well as full support and facilitation provided by relevant Mainland authorities, the mission went smoothly and the stranded Hong Kong people could return home at last. The whole mission brought us immense satisfaction and I was very delighted to see the happy faces of those Hong Kong residents as they got re-united with their families. I was deeply impressed by our civil service colleagues who demonstrated strong team spirit by working together tirelessly to tackle different kinds of problems throughout the mission, doing their best to accomplish the task.”

Since taking up the post of the Secretary for the Civil Service more than half a year ago, Mr Nip has been paying visits to various departments from time to time, actively communicating with frontline staff to exchange views with them. What impresses him most in the visits is civil service colleagues’ sense of mission to serve the public. Mr Nip said, “Since I assumed office, I have met with colleagues of different ranks to understand their concerns and the difficulties they encountered at work, bearing in mind the value of ‘People-oriented approach, caring with heart’, in order to help improve their working environment which will facilitate a smoother delivery of services to better accommodate the needs of the public.” Mr Nip explained, “We count on ‘people’, that is, each and every one of our ‘colleagues’ to get the ‘job’ done, that is, to provide quality services for the community. Civil service management is in fact management of manpower resources. I think we should adopt an ‘empathetic and caring’ approach in handling civil service matters. We need to understand with our ‘hearts’ the latest developments of departments, the challenges and difficulties they face, as well as their demands for manpower resources from their perspectives, and provide support for civil service colleagues as appropriate. For example, we should show our empathy in making posting arrangements. We have to consider the operational needs of departments and whether such arrangements will enable colleagues to bring their strengths to full play. What’s more, we should also consider whether there are any special circumstances of the colleagues and their families that may need to be taken into account.” Mr Nip added, “With the unemployment rate on the rise and an ever-increasing demand for public services amid the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong, provision of public services has become more complicated and challenging for civil servants. I hope I could do my utmost to support colleagues and help them solve the problems at work. At the same time, training for civil servants will be enhanced so that they could be well-equipped to serve the community with excellence.”

Mr Nip (right) visited the monitoring centre of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer to learn more about the use of the multi-tech approach in monitoring persons under home quarantine.

Mr Nip (centre) visited Camp Street Refuse Collection Point in Sham Shui Po to learn more about the work of the frontline cleansing workers.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January, the civil service has been participating in the anti-epidemic work. Expressing his profound feelings, Mr Nip remarked, “Without doubt, the fight against the epidemic is a prolonged battle and the obstacles that stand in the way of anti-epidemic efforts are unprecedented, posing considerable challenges to the civil service. With seamless coordination among colleagues of various departments in solving all the difficulties, the anti-epidemic measures of reducing cross-boundary people flows, maintaining social distancing and arranging isolation and quarantine facilities have been taken forward smoothly. By formulating and implementing anti-epidemic strategy, the Government will at all times stay vigilant and allow no room for complacency. We will also make prompt and proper responses in the light of the volatile epidemic situation, with a view to optimising the effectiveness of our anti-epidemic work. Being aware of the risks to which civil service colleagues may be susceptible in their fight against the epidemic, we provide frontline staff with adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment. It is a blessing that we have a professional and reliable civil service, with all members standing fast at their posts and dedicating themselves to fearlessly fighting the virus so as to safeguard public health in Hong Kong. I am deeply proud of our civil service colleagues and grateful for their contribution and hard work.” Regarding the Anti-epidemic Fund (the Fund) launched by the Government, Mr Nip elaborated, “We have earmarked $6 billion under the Fund to create 30,000 time-limited posts within the Government or in the private sector through subsidy in two years’ time. Under the prevailing economic situation, these newly created posts will on the one hand provide temporary manpower necessary for the anti-epidemic work, and on the other offer job opportunities for the grass-roots and fresh university graduates, especially those from professions requiring working attachment, as a means to tackle the employment difficulties. A total of 29,000 temporary posts have been created so far. Various bureaux including the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Development Bureau, and the Environment Bureau are in active discussion with different professional bodies and sectors with a view to creating more jobs soon.” In view of the volatile epidemic situation in Hong Kong, Mr Nip encourages the civil service to adapt to the new situations under the epidemic by rising to challenges and serve the public with commitment.

Mr Nip (left) visited Community Testing Centres and thanked the health care team, administrative staff and the public for their support for the Universal Community Testing Programme.

Mr Nip pointed out that it is of prime importance to enhance civil service training in support of colleagues’ work, “I hope to strengthen, through training, civil servants’ knowledge and abilities in four aspects. First of all, civil servants must be fully aware of their roles and identities, as well as the constitutional order of the HKSAR under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’. They should also deepen their understanding about the social developments and economic situation in the Mainland. At the same time, civil servants should upgrade their abilities in the areas of innovative thinking and application of technology to tie in with the Government efforts in promoting the development of innovation and technology, while their leadership skills should be further enhanced to steer the civil service to formulate policies and resolve problems for our society. Furthermore, as Hong Kong is an international city bridging the Mainland and the world, our civil servants should broaden their international outlook as well. Training in all these aspects plays a vital role in public governance, operation of departments, and career development of colleagues.” The Government is pressing ahead with preparatory work for the establishment of a new civil service college in Kwun Tong, which is expected to be completed in 2026, to enhance civil service training in terms of scale and systems. Mr Nip said, “Along with the construction of the civil service college, distinguished professionals of the community have been invited to join the civil service training advisory board to give their views and recommendations on the specifics of training in the aforementioned four aspects.” While being fully aware that colleagues on training might have lesser time to finish their work at hand, Mr Nip stressed, “There is no question about the importance of training, which is the most fruitful investment we make for the future development of the civil service. It is imperative that we strive for continuous improvement and move with the times. I therefore encourage colleagues to plan in advance, sparing some time for training to better equip themselves. Apart from courses taught in class, we offer other modes of training such as online learning and field trips. Equally important are the training contents and quality of instructors, and these elements will be refined based on the feedback of our colleagues in order to attain the training objectives.”

Mr Nip (right) visited the Cyber Learning Centre Plus at the Learning Resource Centre and browsed the e-learning platform of the Basic Law Portal.

Mr Nip particularly mentioned that Hong Kong civil servants should be referred to as “civil servants of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China” in full, meaning that they are civil servants of not only the Government of the HKSAR but also the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Regarding such dual identities, Mr Nip explained, “Under the framework of ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong and the Mainland practise different systems. As far as our civil service system is concerned, practices in recruitment, training, management and remuneration, etc. are different from those in the Mainland and we will maintain our own system. On the other hand, it is an undisputable fact that Hong Kong is part of China, and our future hinges very much on the development of our country.” He opined that given their dual identities, civil servants should give consideration to both of these two perspectives in policy formulation and implementation. He said, “In view of the extensive connections between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the daily lives and needs of people in the two places are closely intertwined. In tackling the problems that Hong Kong faces, we have to make deliberations on the basis of the Basic Law and in accordance with the system and situation of Hong Kong; meanwhile we also have to understand the development of various places in our country, maintain communication with the Mainland and think in swapped positions. By doing so we will be able to find solutions resulting in a win-win situation.”

Mr Nip (back row, centre) met with non-ethnic Chinese students participating in the government internship programme.

Regarding the implementation of the requirement for civil servants to take an oath or sign a declaration that they will uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the HKSAR, Mr Nip elaborated, “Article 99 of the Basic Law stipulates that public servants must be dedicated to their duties and be responsible to the HKSAR Government. Similar requirements concerning the conduct of civil servants are also set out in the Civil Service Code. Also, according to Article 6 of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a resident of the HKSAR who assumes public office shall take an oath or confirm in writing to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the HKSAR in accordance with the law. The message is crystal clear: it has consistently been the duty of and requirement for civil servants to uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the HKSAR. We hope that through taking an oath or signing a declaration, there could be a manifestation of such duty, enabling colleagues to become more aware of this requirement.” Mr Nip continued, “For new recruits, signing a declaration will be one of the conditions for appointment whereas for serving civil servants, we consult the civil service staff unions under the established mechanism to gauge their views and understand their concerns. After receiving the feedback and studying the matter, we will work out the implementation details of the arrangements and make announcement accordingly.”

Concerning the possible termination of probationary service for officers prosecuted for involvement in unlawful public activities during the probationary period, Mr Nip said, “Generally speaking, all new recruits to the civil service will be considered for appointment on permanent terms upon satisfactory completion of the probationary period. The Government attaches great importance to the conduct of civil servants and thus has been applying stringent suitability standards as laid down in the Civil Service Regulations (CSRs) in assessing the performance and conduct of probationers to ensure that only those who are suitable in all respects are allowed to pass the probation bar. Where the act of probationers calls into question their suitability in terms of conduct, ethics and performance for appointment on permanent terms, it is the duty of Heads of Department/Grade to assess the probationers under the CSRs to see if they could pass the probation bar or their service should be terminated.” Mr Nip added, “Civil servants must be law abiding and should by no means participate in any unlawful activities. The Government adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards civil servants who violated the law. Any such civil servants will not be tolerated. If probationers are arrested for participation in unlawful public activities and prosecuted with a reasonable prospect of conviction, the department concerned should terminate their probationary service according to the CSRs. I must point out that in determining whether or not to terminate the service of probationers or refuse their passage of the probation bar, the appointment authority will consider their suitability in such terms as conduct and integrity for continued service or further appointment. Whether the probationers concerned are in breach of the law is not the only consideration. The procedures involved will be carried out according to the CSRs and, inter alia, the probationers will be given the opportunity to make representations to ensure that their cases are handled with fairness.”

Mr Nip commended civil servants for their renowned professionalism, efficiency and remarkable performance, which should always be cherished. He said, “Given the high demands and expectations of the public towards the Government, our civil service colleagues have been working under much pressure. We will make our best endeavours to help colleagues and alleviate their work pressure.” From the management’s perspective, Mr Nip is of the view that work procedures should be streamlined and frontline staff be provided with clear guidelines and appropriate training, so as to enhance work efficiency, enabling colleagues to excel in their posts.

Notwithstanding his busy schedules, Mr Nip is still able to spare the time to exercise and read, balancing life and work. He enjoys running, a way to build up his body. Talking about his recent encounter with Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?, Mr Nip found reading this book under the prevailing global landscape truly inspiring. Exercise strengthens the body while reading nourishes the mind. To Mr Nip, this is the key to keeping both his body and mind energetic and youthful.

Amid rapid changes in society and rocketing developments of the social media, Mr Nip shared a message of hope for the youth today, “In the past, knowledge was imparted through books. At present, the Internet offers a way for self-learning. Our society provides us with ample opportunities nowadays. For the young people, they stand to benefit from a lower threshold in starting their own business with plenty of room for development in store. No matter what you are pursuing, be it an undergraduate course at the university or a training programme to acquire professional skills such as cooking, photography and stage management, as long as you are committed, proactive and progress-driven, you should be able to put to good use what you have learnt and give full play to your strengths.”

Mr Nip (second left) took part in the 2019 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.