Chief Executive designate Donald Tsang says he will devote himself to serving the public in the next two years.

Attending a public forum today after being confirmed as the next chief executive, Mr Tsang said his priorities in the next two years will be improving governance, establishing a harmonious  society and enhancing Hong Kong's economic vitality, as well as revamping the Executive Council.

He said he will be meeting people in the community in the next few months to listen to their views on these objectives and will give details of his thinking in his  Policy Address in October.

Mr Tsang said his aim to revamp ExCo is to make room for the position of the council to other elites outside the Government.

He said public sentiment has been improving as the economy rebounded. He urged the community to be forward looking.

When asked if there are chances of tax cuts, Mr Tsang said the economic growth is expected to be 4% to 5% this year, which may allow the Government to carry out some tax-relief measures. He stressed it was the Financial Secretary's final decision.

Not enough time to re-launch Article 23

Mr Tsang said the legislative work on Basic Law Article 23 is an important issue and the responsibility of every chief executive.

However, he said, as his tenure of chief executive has only two years, he doubted that he had enough time to re-launch the issue.

He said universal suffrage is the ultimate aim and Hong Kong needs to discuss the issue in a rational way, adding that it is also important to win the support of the Central People's Government.