Hong Kong’s former commerce minister Gregory So Kam-leung has died at the age of 67.

It was understood that So, a lawyer by trade who served as the city’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development between 2011 and 2017, had been in hospital for some time before he died on Saturday morning.

So, the former chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, first joined the government in 2008 as the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau’s undersecretary.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu expressed sorrow over So’s death and paid tribute to the “significant contributions” he made to the city.

“Mr So dedicated years of service to the Hong Kong community through his work in government and different public offices, contributing to the city’s development in the economy, trade, tourism, information technology, telecommunications and creative industries,” he said.