Senior Beijing officials have hailed Hong Kong’s leader as an example of “women’s strength and heroism” in how she handled the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2019 social unrest, but cited the gender gap in the local workforce as an area for improvement.

Liu Guangyuan, the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong commissioner, and Lu Xinning, a deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, heaped praise on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at a women’s empowerment forum on Saturday.

The pair were among more than 30 political and business heavyweights who spoke at the Second Women Power Forum, organised by the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Women.

A number of political and business heavyweights spoke at the forum.

In his speech, Liu highlighted the achievements of Lam, the city’s first and only female chief executive, saying she had “calmly responded” to the 2019 anti-government protests and severe impact brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

“[Lam’s efforts in] maintaining social order, controlling the epidemic, alleviating people’s hardships and reviving the economy have fully demonstrated women’s strength and heroism,” he told hundreds of female attendees in an event hall at the Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan.

The liaison office’s Lu, however, said there was “still huge room for improvement” in terms of local support given to the development of women, considering that driving gender equity had been an important governance goal.

Referring to some European nations that required listed companies to have women occupy at least a third of directors’ seats, Lu said such participation in some important local institutions, including the Hong Kong stock exchange, remained “very low”.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam did not attend the forum after fracturing her elbow this week.

Citing official figures and noting the 4.08 million women in Hong Kong accounted for 54.4 per cent of the total population, she added: “Women now hold up more than half the sky. It can be said that if women’s problems are solved, Hong Kong’s problems will be solved by half.”

The remarks were made five months ahead of the city’s top election in March, where a revamped, 1,500-strong Election Committee will select Hong Kong’s next leader. Core organisers of Saturday’s forum are among members of the committee.

They included federation chairwoman Pansy Ho Chiu-king, one of the city’s richest women, and Annie Wu Suk-ching, daughter of the founder of Maxim’s Group.

Federation chairwoman Pansy Ho.

City leader Lam, also an honorary patron of the federation, was absent from the high-profile forum due to an elbow fracture sustained in a fall at her official residence on Monday. In a pre-recorded video speech, she said her administration’s efforts in promoting women’s participation in public affairs were “gradually bearing fruit”.

Lam noted that the percentage of women on government advisory and statutory bodies reached 35 per cent in June, meeting the target set.

“Hong Kong is definitely not short of women leaders … We will continue to compel change, to ensure that the voice of women is heard, and heeded, in Hong Kong,” she said.

Lam’s predecessor, Leung Chun-ying, an honorary adviser to the organising committee, also spoke at the forum. Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, former head of the World Health Organization, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing chairwoman Laura Cha Shih May-lung, both of whom have given few public speeches recently, were also among the speakers.