Matthew Cheung facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matthew Cheung Kin-chung
GBM GBS JP
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張建宗
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Cheung in 2020
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| 7th Chief Secretary for Administration | |
| In office 16 January 2017 – 25 June 2021 Acting: 13 January 2017 – 16 January 2017 |
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| Chief Executive | Leung Chun-ying Carrie Lam |
| Preceded by | Carrie Lam |
| Succeeded by | John Lee |
| Secretary for Labour and Welfare | |
| In office 1 July 2007 – 16 January 2017 |
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| Preceded by | York Chow (Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food) Stephen Ip (Secretary for Economic Development and Labour) |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Sui |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 20, 1950 British Hong Kong |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | University of Hong Kong |
| Signature |  |
Matthew Cheung Kin-chung (born 20 November 1950) is a former important government official in Hong Kong. He served as the Chief Secretary for Administration from 2017 to 2021. This is the second-highest position in the Hong Kong government. Before that, he was the Secretary for Labour and Welfare for ten years. He received a special award called the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM) in 2017 for his public service.
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Early Life and Career
Matthew Cheung was born in Hong Kong in 1950. He studied at the University of Hong Kong and finished in 1972. After university, he started working for the government.
One of his first jobs was helping foreign reporters visit camps for people who came to Hong Kong seeking safety in the 1970s. These people were often called "Vietnamese boat people."
In 1979, he joined a special group of government workers called the Administrative Service. This meant he would work in many different parts of the government.
Working in Different Government Roles
In his early career, Matthew Cheung worked in many areas. He helped with money matters, community affairs, and industry. He became a high-level officer in 1986.
He served as a leader in the North District. He also helped the Financial Secretary and worked in the education and labor departments. He was known for working very hard. For example, in five years, he took less than three weeks off!
Key Government Positions
In July 2007, Matthew Cheung became the Secretary for Labour and Welfare. This was a very important job. He was in charge of laws and programs related to workers and people's well-being.
Helping Workers and Families
During his time as Secretary for Labour and Welfare, he helped bring in important laws. One was the Minimum Wage Ordinance in 2011. This law set the lowest amount of money workers could be paid.
He also worked on a program to help people pay for their travel to work. He dealt with issues like money for older people and rules about how many hours people should work. He also worked on rules for paternity leave, which is time off for new fathers.
Becoming Chief Secretary
In January 2017, Matthew Cheung took on an even bigger role. He became the Chief Secretary for Administration. This made him the second most powerful person in the Hong Kong government. He took over from Carrie Lam, who became the Chief Executive.
Later Career and Retirement
As Chief Secretary, Matthew Cheung continued to be a key figure in the government. He often spoke about important government policies.
In 2019, he wrote that schools should be places for learning, not for political protests. In 2020, he said that schools should not become places where ideas about Hong Kong independence grow. He believed teachers should help students become good citizens.
In November 2020, he commented on some lawmakers who were seen sleeping during a speech. He said it was only a few people out of many.
In 2021, he wrote that government workers should promise to be loyal to the government. He also said that changes to the government system would make Hong Kong more democratic.
Matthew Cheung retired from public service in June 2021.
Images for kids
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Cheung in 2020
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Signature of Matthew Cheung
