Tan Zhiyuan

Raymond Tam Chi-yuen GBS JP (born May 29, 1964) is a former Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of Hong Kong, a representative of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) from Hong Kong, and currently serves as Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

He has served as Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs, Undersecretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, and Director of the Chief Executive's Office. During Leung Chun-ying’s tenure as Chief Executive, he was known as one of the "three-person team for political reform" alongside then Chief Secretary Carrie Lam and Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen.

Biography

Tam graduated from Chung Sing School in 1976, and studied at Heung Yee Kuk Yuen Long District Secondary School (1976–1983, through Form 7), then earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Hong Kong in 1987.

He joined the Administrative Service in September 1987 and was promoted to Administrative Officer Staff Grade B in April 2007. He served in various government departments and offices, including the Central Policy Unit, Constitutional Affairs Bureau, Financial Secretary's Office, Chief Executive's Office, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, and Information Services Department.

In 2003, while serving as press secretary to then Financial Secretary Antony Leung, Tam was criticized for failing to warn Leung about a potential conflict of interest in purchasing a car before announcing a tax hike on vehicle registration, which tainted his civil service career. Tam later admitted in a radio interview that the incident had affected his career and that he was fortunate to be “taken in” by then Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam.

Tam performed well in promoting electoral reform proposals and was transferred to the Secretariat of the Commission on Strategic Development in 2006 and to Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs in 2007. In June 2008, he became Undersecretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, becoming the first civil servant to transition into the political appointment system.

In August 2009, Tam was appointed Director of the Chief Executive's Office. In September 2011, he succeeded Stephen Lam as Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs and remained in the post under Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

In March 2017, Tam announced he would not remain in government. He joined former Financial Secretary Antony Leung’s company as Vice Chairman of New Frontier Health and Chairman of New Frontier Education, focusing on rehabilitation hospitals and healthcare education services in mainland China.

On June 30, 2017, he was succeeded by Patrick Nip.

In December 2017, Tam ran in the 13th Hong Kong NPC election and won with 1,580 votes.

On August 15, 2018, he was appointed Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

In 2023, Tam stepped down as Hong Kong NPC delegate.

Controversial Statements

Joint Declaration has fulfilled its historic mission

On December 17, 2014, as Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Tam stated in a Legislative Council session that the Sino-British Joint Declaration had "fulfilled its historical mission".

Religious Belief

Tam is a Christian. In November 2017, he and Antony Leung appeared in a promotional video for the Christian evangelical event "Hong Kong Gospel Festival 2017". In December, he attended the event held at the Hong Kong Stadium and shared his testimony.