Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk on Sunday said care teams tasked with supporting people from ethnic minority groups will start providing services later this year.

At an Equal Opportunities Commission event, Cheuk said the government is committed to helping non-Chinese residents integrate into the community, saying they are vital to Hong Kong society.

“They are no doubt an integral part of the Hong Kong family, working dutifully and diligently across various professions and areas. Our non-ethnic Chinese brothers and sisters have made equal contributions to the growth of Hong Kong,” Cheuk said.

The deputy chief secretary said that as well as the care teams, preparations are underway for two new ethnic minority support centres, in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Cheuk said there are over 300,000 non-Chinese people in the SAR, many of them working in various industries including government positions.

“In terms of employment, the government encourages departments to design their own language tests, to provide an additional pathway for ethnic minority applicants to meet the appointment requirements on language proficiency,” he said.

“For instance, more than 300 ethnic minority applicants have passed the Chinese or English written examination designed for police recruitment. This would allow ethnic minorities who may not have participated in public examinations in Hong Kong to gain the opportunity to join and work for the government.”

Cheuk also noted that a pilot counselling service centre for ethnic minority residents launched at the end of last year.