Tai Kin Ip is no longer Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, having exited the post “for personal reasons”, according to a Macau government statement issued on Thursday (April 16).
The step was approved by China’s State Council, on the advice of the city’s Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai.
Mr Tai (pictured in a file photo) had been responsible for overseeing the city’s casino industry.
The statement said: “For personal reasons, Tai Kin Ip submitted his resignation request some time ago” to Mr Sam “who subsequently submitted” it to the central government for approval, in accordance with relevant legislation.
The statement further noted that the Macau government “is currently attending to the process of appointing a new Secretary for Economy and Finance”.
Chief Executive Mr Sam will for now act in the capacity of Secretary, said the statement.
Mr Tai’s time in the post – under 18 months – represents the shortest tenure of a Secretary for Economy and Finance since the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region in 1999.
Mr Tai had been in the role since late December 2024. Previously, he was the head of Macau’s Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT).
Mr Ip was born in Macau in 1968. He began working at DSEDT – previously known as the Economic Bureau – in October 1995, serving as a deputy director from February 2000 to March 2016. In April 2016, he became the director of the bureau.
Over the years, Mr Ip served on a number of Macau committees, including as president of the Industrial and Commercial Development Fund.
He was part of a new lineup of top government officials under Macau Chief Executive Mr Sam, formerly the city’s most senior judge, who took the city’s top job in late December 2024.
(Updated 11.05am, April 16)
