Chief Executive of Hong Kong

Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
香港特別行政區行政長官
since 1 July 2022
Government of Hong Kong
Office of the Chief Executive
Style
TypeHead of government
Member ofExecutive Council
ResidenceGovernment House
NominatorElection Committee
AppointerState Council of the People's Republic of China (Decree signed by Premier)[1]
Term length5 years
Re-electable for another maximum 5-year term
Constituting instrumentHong Kong Basic Law
Inaugural holderTung Chee-hwa
Formation1 July 1997; 27 years ago (1 July 1997)
SalaryUS$675,000[2]
Websiteceo.gov.hk/en
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese香港特別行政區行政長官
Simplified Chinese香港特别行政区行政长官
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiānggǎng Tèbié Xíngzhèngqū Xíngzhèng Zhǎngguān
Wade–GilesHsiang1-kang3 Tʻê4-pieh2 Hsing2-cheng4-chü1 Hsing2-cheng2 Chang3-kuan1
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHēunggóng Dahkbiht Hàngjingkēui Hàngjing Jéunggūn
JyutpingHoeng1gong2 Dak6bit6 Hang4zing3keoi1 Hang4zing3 Zoeng2gun1
IPA[hœ́ŋ.kɔ̌ŋ tɐ̀k̚.pìt̚ hɐ̏ŋ.tsēŋ.kʰɵ́y hɐ̏ŋ.tsēŋ tsœ̌ŋ.kún]
Commonly abbreviated as
Chinese香港特首
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiānggǎng Tèshǒu
Wade–GilesHsianf1-kang3 Tʻê4-shou3
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHēunggóng Dahksáu
IPA[hœ́ŋ.kɔ̌ŋ tɐ̀k̚.sɐ̌u]

The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong.[3]

The position was created to replace the office of Governor of Hong Kong, the representative of the Monarch of the United Kingdom during British colonial rule.[4] The office, as stipulated by the Hong Kong Basic Law, formally came into being on 1 July 1997 with the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. The chief executive is head of the executive branch of the Hong Kong government.

The functions of the chief executive include nominating principal officials for appointment by the State Council of China, which is headed by the premier, conducting foreign relations, appointing judges and other public officers, giving consent to legislation passed by the Legislative Council, and bestowing honours. The Basic Law grants the chief executive a wide range of powers, but obliges him or her, before making important policy decisions, introducing bills to the Legislative Council, making subsidiary legislation, and dissolving the Legislative Council, to act only after consultation with the Executive Council (all of whose members are the CE's own appointees).[5] The executive council consists of official and non-official members, including the Chief Secretary for Administration, the most senior official and head of the Government Secretariat, in charge of overseeing the administration of the Government.

The Chief Executive holds the title "The Honourable", and ranks first in the Hong Kong order of precedence.[6] The official residence of the chief executive is Government House in Central, Hong Kong Island.

The current chief executive is John Lee selected as chief executive in the 2022 election, appointed by the Chinese State Council with the designation decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang on 30 May 2022 and took office on 1 July 2022. Lee is the fifth Chief Executive; each of his four predecessors are still living.

  1. ^ "Government Structure" (PDF). Hong Kong: The Fact. September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  2. ^ "11 of the highest-paid world leaders revealed – so who's on top?". South China Morning Post. 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ Article 43, Hong Kong Basic Law: "The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and shall represent the Region"
  4. ^ "Bill 1999." Info.gov.hk. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  5. ^ Article 56, Hong Kong Basic Law.
  6. ^ "Precedence list Archived 22 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine." Protocol.gov.hk. Retrieved 28 March 2010.