Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The chief executiveof the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong.

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. 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 public officers including members of the Executive Council andjudges, giving consent to legislation passed by the Legislative Council, and bestowing honours. The chief executive has wide powers under the Basic Law and is required to consult the Executive Council before making most policy decisions. 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. 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 of Hong Kong; each of his four predecessors are still living.