Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | |
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香港特別行政區政務司司長 | |
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since 1 July 2022 | |
Government Secretariat of Hong Kong Government of Hong Kong | |
Style |
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Member of | |
Reports to | Legislative Council |
Residence | Victoria House, 15 Barker Road, Victoria Peak |
Nominator | Chief Executive |
Appointer | State Council of the People's Republic of China |
Term length | No longer than the Chief Executive's remaining term |
Constituting instrument | Hong Kong Basic Law |
Inaugural holder | Anson Chan |
Formation | 1 July 1997 |
Salary | HK$4,500,000 annually[1] |
Website | cso |
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Politics and government of Hong Kong |
Related topics ![]() |
Chief Secretary for Administration | |||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 政務司司長 | ||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 政务司司长 | ||||||||||||||
Cantonese Yale | Jingmouhsī Sījéung | ||||||||||||||
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The Chief Secretary for Administration, commonly known as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, is the most senior principal official of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Secretary is head of the Government Secretariat which oversees the administration of the Region to which all other ministers belong, and is accountable for his or her policies and actions to the Chief Executive and to the Legislative Council. Under Article 53 of the Basic Law, the position is known as "Administrative Secretary". As the second highest ranking public official in Hong Kong, the Chief Secretary acts as Acting Chief Executive when the Chief Executive is absent.
The Chief Secretary formulates and implements government policy, gives advice to the Chief Executive as a member of the Executive Council, and is responsible for managing the Government's relationship with the Legislative Council and drawing up the Government's legislative programme. The office (“Department of Administration” per Article 60 of the Basic Law) also exercises certain statutory functions, such as the handling of appeals from designated public bodies.[2]
Prior to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the office was known simply as "Chief Secretary" (Chinese: 布政司; Cantonese Yale: Boujingsī), and before 27 August 1976, "Colonial Secretary"(Chinese: 輔政司; Cantonese Yale: Fuhjingsī).[3][4][5] Until the introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System in 2002, the Chief Secretary was a civil service position, and in this capacity, the head of the public service. In 2005, Henry Tang became the first person who has not been a civil servant to be appointed to the office of the Chief Secretary.[citation needed]
From the 1870s to 1902 the Colonial Secretary was the de facto Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong which was once held by the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong before 1870s when the post was not lapsed from power. After 1902 the title disappeared from use as the second highest post was transferred to the Colonial Secretary and later, Chief Secretary.[citation needed]