Tung Chee-hwa remembered for quotes, crises and legacy
Thestandard · 5 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first post-handover Chief Executive, died peacefully on Tuesday at the age of 89, according to his office. Coverage published on Wednesday looked back at both his rise from shipping businessman to political leader and the remarks that came to symbolise his governing style during major controversies. Separate retrospectives also revisited the policy crises of his tenure, including housing, right of abode, SARS and Article 23 legislation, while another report examined whether his status as a former national vice leader could lead to a state funeral in Hong Kong.
Key Points
- Born in Shanghai in 1937, Tung moved to Hong Kong as a child, studied maritime engineering at the University of Liverpool, and graduated in 1960.
- After 10 years working in the United States, including at General Electric, he joined the family business in 1965 and took over Orient Overseas in 1979
- Orient Overseas was heavily indebted by 1985 during a global shipping downturn, before a US$120 million bailout led by Henry Fok Ying-tung in 1986
- Tung entered politics after Chris Patten appointed him to the Executive Council in 1992, and he became Chief Executive on July 1, 1997 after winning the 1996 election.
- His tenure was marked by the 85,000 flats policy, the 1999 right of abode interpretation, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and the Article 23 political crisis.
Why It Matters
The new coverage places Tung’s death in the wider context of how Hong Kong’s first post-1997 administration handled its earliest constitutional, economic and public health shocks. The discussion over a possible state funeral also underlines Tung’s standing not only in Hong Kong politics but within the national political hierarchy after his later role as a vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee