Professor Chen is Honorary Professor of the HKU Business School, Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, Honorary Professor of the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong, Chairman of the Council of Advisers of the Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research, and independent non-executive director of First Pacific Company, Delta Asia Financial Group,  and Wharf Holdings.  He is a member of the Hong Kong government Human Resources Planning commission, an expert panel member and volume chief editor of the Hong Kong Chronicles Institute, a director of the Hong Kong Institute of Monetary Research, and the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong.

He is the former President of Lingnan University in Hong Kong (1995-2007) introducing liberal arts education, and former Chairman of the Consumer Council (1988-1997) promoting competition policy in Hong Kong. Professor Chen served as Chairman of the Board of HKU SPACE (2013-2022). He was also a member of the Securities and Futures Commission, a trustee of Lloyd George Asset Management, a director of Asia Satellite Telecommunications, Peoples Telephone Company, and Mass Transit Railway Corporation.    He is also a former Member of the Executive Council (1992-1997) and the Legislative Council (1991-1992) of Hong Kong. He was Visiting Professor of the University of California Davis at various times and served as President of the Qianhai Institute for Innovative Research in Shenzhen (2014-2017). He was also a director of Hang Seng Qianhai Asset Management (2016-2022).

Professor Chen was educated at the University of Hong Kong (BA & MSocSc) and Oxford University (DPhil). He taught economics and served as Director of the Centre of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong. He is a pioneer in the study of Asia’s newly industrialised economies, and has particular research interest in regional cooperation and the economics of technological change.  He received honorary doctorates from the University of Hong Kong, the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong, the Education University of Hong Kong, and Plymouth University in England.  He is a Justice of the Peace, and was awarded CBE by the British Hong Kong government and GBS by the Hong Kong SAR government.