中央政策組
Cheng joined The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1978, when he worked in the Group Finance department. In 1982 he moved to the Bank's Group Planning department, before he was appointed Chief Economist in 1986. From April 1989 to April 1991, he was seconded to the Hong Kong Government's Central Policy Unit and acted as an adviser to the Governor of Hong Kong. He took up the post of general manager in June 1995 and then the first Chinese Executive Director of the Bank in November that same year.