In this Hong Kong name, the surname is Tien. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Michael Tien and the Chinese-style name is Tien Puk-sun.
Tien was appointed as the chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in December 2001 amid public criticism on his predecessor, K. Y. Yeung. He proposed and implemented administrative reforms that enhanced KCRC's transparency and accountability; he regularly attended Legco meeting and explained the company's policies and decisions.[1] In 2006, Tien resigned as chairman of the KCRC due to disputes with other directors over his management style.[2]
In the 2017 Chief Executive election, Tien supported his party chairwoman Regina Ip. He complained the election had "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand", referring to the Liaison Office. Tien inclined his support for John Tsang after Ip dropped out, although Ip endorsed Carrie Lam on the last day before the election.[4][5] Tien eventually quit the party on 10 April with six District Councillors.[6]
In December 2021, it was reported that Tien was eligible to vote four times in the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, yielding 0.0328896% of the total voting value (elected seats), which is 6618 times more than the value of an average voter's total voting value.[8]
^Sun, Nikki (17 January 2017). "'Invisible hand' interfering in Hong Kong chief executive race, NPP deputy chair Michael Tien says". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. The upcoming race for Hong Kong's top job has "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand", according to New People's Party deputy chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun [...] Tien said many election committee members, himself included, had received phone calls asking them to nominate certain candidates. This was despite Tien's party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee being one of the contenders.