Henry Tang
Encyclopedia
Henry Tang Ying-yen, GBM
, GBS
, JP
was the Chief Secretary for Administration
of Hong Kong
until his resignation in September 2011. He is a candidate in the Hong Kong Chief Executive election
of 2012, and believed to be preferred by Beijing.
. He is a graduate of class of 1975. He attended Graduate School at Yale University. He is married with four children, three daughters and a son.
Tang has extensive ties with PRC
leaders. His father Tang Hsiang Chien
is a former standing committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
, the advisory body to the National People's Congress
.
in 1993 and won the Young Industrialist of Hong Kong award in 1989.
Between 1995 and 2001 he served as the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. He was also a Committee Member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
and a Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
. He was also the Chairman of the Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination Board (PCICB) before joining the government.
Tang has been a member of the Executive Council
since the transfer of sovereignty of HK in 1997. He served as a member of the Legislative Council for seven years from 1991 to 1998. He was a member of the Liberal Party, a pro-businessmen and pro-Beijing
party, before joining the government.
Tang has also served extensively on various government boards and public bodies, including the Trade Development Council, Town Planning Board, University Grants Committee, and Council of the City University of Hong Kong
.
Tang took up his commerce post in July 2002 as part of a line-up of new secretaries aimed at improving the government's transparency. He was promoted from Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
to Finance Secretary
on 4 August 2003 replacing Antony Leung
. Leung resigned on 16 July 2003 due to allegations of tax evasion in regards to his new car. Tang briefly served from 25 May to 21 June 2005 as acting Chief Executive after Tung Chee Hwa
, the former Chief Executive who resigned citing health reasons.
On 25 May 2005, Donald Tsang
, the Chief Secretary for Administration, resigned to stand in the 'by-election' for Chief Executive. Tang served as Acting Chief Executive of HKSAR soon after Tsang's resignation was announced.
On 23 June 2007, it was announced that Tang would succeed Rafael Hui
as the new Chief Secretary for Administration
of Hong Kong effective 1 July 2007.
On 28 September 2011, Tang resigned from his post, and then in late November announced his candidacy for Chief Executive. Many financial heavyweights quickly showed their support for Tang's candidacy, including Former Monetary Authority chief Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, HSBC Asia-Pacific chief executive Peter Wong Tung-shun, and Father of Lan Kwai Fong, Allan Zeman
.
controversy as Chairman of the Economic Relaunch Strategy Group responsible for pushing ahead with the plan to spend $100 million to revive the economy after SARS, and said that he should be held responsible. Tang had said that although Mike Rowse, a senior civil servant, had actually signed the contract, Rowse as such was not required to be held politically responsible. However, during a Working Group meeting on 31 October, 2003 and during an independent inquiry in May 2004, Tang allegedly said Rowse had not acted improperly and that there had been no irregularity in the implementation of the event. Tang had also said that all parties had under-estimated the complexity of the event and may have been too ambitious in organising it in such a short timespan. He later withdrew the remark: just before a government inquiry opened on November 2004, Tang requested the ERWG minutes be deleted. Internal governmental disciplinary process fined Rowse for misconduct, but a High Court
judge quashed the government ruling on 4 July 2008. Political commentator Frank Ching pointed to the huge credibility gap
of the government. He noted that the attempt of Tang to shift political responsibility from himself, as the minister responsible, to a senior civil servant, was a travesty of justice for Rowse, and went against the Accountability System
.
organized by the Home Affairs Bureau
. A 31-year-old jobless man threw a shoe at Tang and it landed on the stage metres away from him. The man was dragged away by police. The man said he was unemployed after getting fired by a computer company, and the government policies were not helping him. He said he was not a "post-80s" teen, but supported the highspeed rail protest connecting HK to Guangdong
. A protester said that the topics discussed in the summit are not those that any young person would be interested in.
On 21 January Leung Kwok-hung
led a group of protesters to a public forum with a toy model car. He then smashed the car in front of Henry Tang to represent a fatal car crash. On 30 January, 2011 eight youth groups including Hong Kong Federation of Students
marched to New World Development
, Li Ka Shing
's Cheung Kong Holdings in Central
and accused the government of colluding with businesses in maximising profits while squeezing the poor. The students criticised Tang and the government for policies that benefit the upper class only like no real estate tax duty, reduction of wine and profit tax. The students said the whole HK is at the mercy of real estate developers.
said on 7 October 2011 that she didn't know about Mr Tang's now widely publicised infidelity when she offered her support and she refused to rule herself out of standing in the following year's Chief Executive election, though she did not in fact stand.
Grand Bauhinia Medal
The Grand Bauhinia Medal the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system, is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the postnominal letters GBM and the style "The Honorable"...
, GBS
Hong Kong honours system
The existing Hong Kong honours system was created after transfer of government of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China as a special administrative region in 1997...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
was the Chief Secretary for Administration
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
until his resignation in September 2011. He is a candidate in the Hong Kong Chief Executive election
Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2012
An election will be held on March 25, 2012 to select the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The incumbent Chief Executive Donald Tsang is barred from seeking a third term pursuant to the Basic Law of Hong Kong. The fourth Chief Executive term will begin on 1 July 2012...
of 2012, and believed to be preferred by Beijing.
Personal and education
Tang holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He is a graduate of class of 1975. He attended Graduate School at Yale University. He is married with four children, three daughters and a son.
Tang has extensive ties with PRC
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
leaders. His father Tang Hsiang Chien
Tang Hsiang Chien
Tang Hsiang Chien, GBS, OBE, JP was a member of the Standing Committee of the 7-9th CPPCC National Committee.Tang graduated from Tatung University in Shanghai in 1945 and received a master's degree from Illinois State University in 1948. He moved to Hong Kong in 1950...
is a former standing committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
, the advisory body to the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
.
Career
Tang was named Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic ForumWorld Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in 1993 and won the Young Industrialist of Hong Kong award in 1989.
Between 1995 and 2001 he served as the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. He was also a Committee Member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1861. It is a self-funding, non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard and represent trade, service and industry in Hong Kong...
and a Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, founded in 1884 to promote horse racing. It was granted Royal Charter and renamed to "The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club" in 1959...
. He was also the Chairman of the Provisional Construction Industry Co-ordination Board (PCICB) before joining the government.
Tang has been a member of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
since the transfer of sovereignty of HK in 1997. He served as a member of the Legislative Council for seven years from 1991 to 1998. He was a member of the Liberal Party, a pro-businessmen and pro-Beijing
Pro-Beijing Camp
The Pro-Beijing Camp, pro-Establishment Camp, pan-Establishment Camp is a segment of Hong Kong society that supports the policies and views of the People's Republic of China before and after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.It is also nicknamed the royalists or loyalists.The term can be used to...
party, before joining the government.
Tang has also served extensively on various government boards and public bodies, including the Trade Development Council, Town Planning Board, University Grants Committee, and Council of the City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...
.
Tang took up his commerce post in July 2002 as part of a line-up of new secretaries aimed at improving the government's transparency. He was promoted from Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology
The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology of the Hong Kong Government was responsible for promoting the manufacturing, trade, commerce and technology sectors in Hong Kong and foster relations with players in these sectors...
to Finance Secretary
Finance Secretary
R.S GUjaral is finance secretary of India .In India, the Permanent Secretary - level civil serBy default, the FS tends to be the seniormost of the five, where seniority is defined by the year of entry into the civil service and not age...
on 4 August 2003 replacing Antony Leung
Antony Leung
Antony Leung Kam-chung GBS JP was the former Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region...
. Leung resigned on 16 July 2003 due to allegations of tax evasion in regards to his new car. Tang briefly served from 25 May to 21 June 2005 as acting Chief Executive after Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
, the former Chief Executive who resigned citing health reasons.
On 25 May 2005, Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
, the Chief Secretary for Administration, resigned to stand in the 'by-election' for Chief Executive. Tang served as Acting Chief Executive of HKSAR soon after Tsang's resignation was announced.
On 23 June 2007, it was announced that Tang would succeed Rafael Hui
Rafael Hui
Rafael Hui Si-yan, GBM GBS JP was the former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and a former career civil servant. Hui has been dubbed "Old Master Hui" and "Fat Dragon" . Hui was appointed as a Justice of the Peace on 1986 and received the honour of Gold Bauhinia Star in 1998.Hui...
as the new Chief Secretary for Administration
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
of Hong Kong effective 1 July 2007.
On 28 September 2011, Tang resigned from his post, and then in late November announced his candidacy for Chief Executive. Many financial heavyweights quickly showed their support for Tang's candidacy, including Former Monetary Authority chief Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, HSBC Asia-Pacific chief executive Peter Wong Tung-shun, and Father of Lan Kwai Fong, Allan Zeman
Allan Zeman
Allan Zeman GBM, GBS, JP is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He was born in Germany, raised in Canada and is of Jewish descent. He is known in Hong Kong as the Father of Lan Kwai Fong ....
.
Harbourfest case
Tang was involved in the Harbour FestHarbour Fest
The Hong Kong Harbour Fest , held from 17 October to 11 November 2003, was part of a HK$1 billion program to revive the economy of Hong Kong SAR after the SARS. It was a government underwritten event organised by InvestHK, under the auspices of the Economic Relaunch Working Group, in collaboration...
controversy as Chairman of the Economic Relaunch Strategy Group responsible for pushing ahead with the plan to spend $100 million to revive the economy after SARS, and said that he should be held responsible. Tang had said that although Mike Rowse, a senior civil servant, had actually signed the contract, Rowse as such was not required to be held politically responsible. However, during a Working Group meeting on 31 October, 2003 and during an independent inquiry in May 2004, Tang allegedly said Rowse had not acted improperly and that there had been no irregularity in the implementation of the event. Tang had also said that all parties had under-estimated the complexity of the event and may have been too ambitious in organising it in such a short timespan. He later withdrew the remark: just before a government inquiry opened on November 2004, Tang requested the ERWG minutes be deleted. Internal governmental disciplinary process fined Rowse for misconduct, but a High Court
High Court (Hong Kong)
The High Court in Hong Kong consists of the Court of Appeal and the Court of First Instance. It deals with criminal and civil cases which have risen beyond the lower courts. It was named the Supreme Court before 1997.- High Court Building :...
judge quashed the government ruling on 4 July 2008. Political commentator Frank Ching pointed to the huge credibility gap
Credibility gap
Credibility gap is a political term that came into wide use during the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, it was most frequently used to describe public skepticism about the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's statements and policies on the Vietnam War...
of the government. He noted that the attempt of Tang to shift political responsibility from himself, as the minister responsible, to a senior civil servant, was a travesty of justice for Rowse, and went against the Accountability System
Principal Officials Accountability System
Principal Officials Accountability System , commonly referred to as the Ministerial system, sometimes the Accountability system, was introduced in Hong Kong by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002...
.
2010 shoeing incident
On 6 March 2010 Tang attended a Youth Summit in Chai WanChai Wan
Chai Wan , formerly mistakenly known as Sai Wan , lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District, and is a mosaic of industrial and residential areas...
organized by the Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau is one of the policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Government.One of the important roles of the Home Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public.Tsang Tak-sing has been the...
. A 31-year-old jobless man threw a shoe at Tang and it landed on the stage metres away from him. The man was dragged away by police. The man said he was unemployed after getting fired by a computer company, and the government policies were not helping him. He said he was not a "post-80s" teen, but supported the highspeed rail protest connecting HK to Guangdong
Opposition to the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Express Rail Link
Opposition to the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Express Rail Link , is a movement and period of civil discontent in Hong Kong between mid 2009 and early 2010...
. A protester said that the topics discussed in the summit are not those that any young person would be interested in.
2011 car crash comment and protest
On 15 January 2011 Tang attended a Roundtable Institute and gave a speech that targeted the Hong Kong post-80s generation with some controversial comments. He said the young generations need to take responsibilities, and he cautioned them for slamming others because of opposing views. Then he stressed the need to compromise and simplify complicated issues. He further said young people should not close the door and act like emperors. That he doesn't want to see politics lead to a bloodshed, leading to a road of no return and end up like a fatal car crash.On 21 January Leung Kwok-hung
Leung Kwok-hung
Leung Kwok-hung , also known as Long Hair , is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , a founding member of the League of Social Democrats and a democratic political activist.-Biography:Leung is a self-proclaimed Trotskyist and a member of April Fifth Action, a radical socialist...
led a group of protesters to a public forum with a toy model car. He then smashed the car in front of Henry Tang to represent a fatal car crash. On 30 January, 2011 eight youth groups including Hong Kong Federation of Students
Hong Kong Federation of Students
Hong Kong Federation of Students is the biggest student organization in Hong Kong. It is formed by the students' union of 7 tertiary education institutions. It has 51,779 members as of March 2006...
marched to New World Development
New World Development
New World Development Company Limited , based in Hong Kong, is active in property, infrastructure, services and telecommunications. It was established in 1970 with Dr Ho Sin Hang as Chairman and Chow Chi Yuen as Director and General Manager...
, Li Ka Shing
Li Ka Shing
Sir Ka-shing Li, GBM, KBE, JP is a Chinese business magnate based in Hong Kong. He is the richest person of East Asian descent in the world and the eleventh richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of US$26.0 billion on 10 March 2011...
's Cheung Kong Holdings in Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
and accused the government of colluding with businesses in maximising profits while squeezing the poor. The students criticised Tang and the government for policies that benefit the upper class only like no real estate tax duty, reduction of wine and profit tax. The students said the whole HK is at the mercy of real estate developers.
Extra-marital affair
On 4 October 2011, in the midst of rumours about his extra-marital affair, Henry Tang issued a statement, in which he admitted that he had made a mistake in his romantic life in the past and he deeply regretted it. He said that his wife had forgiven him. His wife said in the statement that there had been difficult times in their relationship and that he has faults, but that she also appreciated his strengths. She acknowledged him as her 'best partner'.National People's Congress Standing Committee member Rita FanRita Fan
Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai GBM GBS CBE JP was the President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom in 1997. She was the first woman to hold that position....
said on 7 October 2011 that she didn't know about Mr Tang's now widely publicised infidelity when she offered her support and she refused to rule herself out of standing in the following year's Chief Executive election, though she did not in fact stand.