Stephen Ip, 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...

  is a former politician in 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...

, he was the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

Secretary for Economic Development and Labour

The Secretary for Economic Development and Labour was the head of the Economic Development and Labour Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong, which is responsible for economic development and labour issues in Hong Kong....

 for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 2002 to 2007.

The post of Secretary for Economic Development and Labour is a political appointment. Ip is a career civil servant. He was Secretary for Economic Services in June 1996 under Chris Patten

Chris Patten

Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....

's colonial administration, until he took up his last civil service post of Secretary for Financial Services in June 2000. In 2005, he proposed a 25–50% decrease in port fees to increase Hong Kong's competitiveness

Competitiveness

Competitiveness is a comparative concept of the ability and performance of a firm, sub-sector or country to sell and supply goods and/or services in a given market...

 in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone

Pearl River Delta Economic Zone

The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone , which consists of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, and parts of Huizhou and Zhaoqing, has been the most economically dynamic region of the Chinese Mainland since the launch of China's reform programme in 1979.The 2008-20...

.