Ng Wai Han appointed Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance

Ng Wai Han has been appointed Macao’s new Secretary for Economy and Finance after her nomination by Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai was approved by China’s State Council, the SAR government announced in a statement today.

The State Council passed Ng’s designation as the new economy and finance secretary on 10 June, with the Macao government publishing the relevant CE directive today. 

Ng now holds one of Macao’s most important government posts, overseeing the economy of one of the world’s richest cities, where gross domestic product (GDP) totalled 418.04 billion patacas in 2025, up 4.7 percent year-on-year. 

According to her official biography, Ng had been serving as head of Macao’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau since May 2025. Before that, she joined the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau in June 2020, where she served as deputy director and was later named director.

Born in Macao in 1976, Ng entered the public service in 1999 as a senior technician at the Labour Affairs Bureau. From November 2013, she successively headed the bureau’s Research Section, its Labour and Employment Rights Section and the Labour Inspection Department, before being promoted to deputy director of the Labour Affairs Bureau.

Ng holds a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s in criminal law from the Sun Yat-Sen University’s School of Law. 

The civil servant was also a member of the Electoral Affairs Commission during the sixth-term CE election in Macao in 2024. The following year, she served as a member of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Eighth Legislative Assembly Election. 

[See more: Macao’s economy grew 7.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026]

Ng’s predecessor was Tai Kin Ip, who unexpectedly resigned from his post in April due to “personal reasons.” No details have been provided as to the nature of Tai’s personal reasons for stepping down. 

Tai’s resignation was accepted by the CE and was later approved by the State Council. Tai was appointed Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance on 20 December 2024, and had previously served as the head of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau. 

Following his resignation, the ex-finance chief was made a member of the Macau Airport Company’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, according to a CE directive published on 3 June.