appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Natalie Wong

A shipping tycoon who was thrust onto the international stage as Hong Kong’s first chief executive and went on to become an elder statesman and consummate diplomat, Tung Chee-hwa will be remembered as a defining figure of the city’s modern history.
The legacy of Tung, who died on Tuesday at age 89, is closely tied to his role as a patriot who led Hong Kong through uncharted waters, navigating a stormy post-handover period beset with economic, public health and political crises.
With his Shanghai roots and extensive international connections, Tung was also known as a key backchannel envoy between China and the United States, working as an elder statesman to enhance people-to-people ties between the two superpowers.
Seeking to offer reassurances about the “one country, two systems” governing framework, he famously said: “If Hong Kong is good, China will be good. If China is good, Hong Kong will be even better.”
That reassurance was critical in the years after the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule, when anxiety was rife about Hong Kong’s future and the transition was being scrutinised globally.

In his inaugural speech as leader that July 1, Tung declared: “For the first time in history, we, the people of Hong Kong, will be masters of our own destiny.”
He added: “The SAR government is fully committed to preserving the Hong Kong way of life, maintaining Hong Kong’s free economic system, upholding the rule of law and building a more democratic society.”
Just two months later, Tung travelled to Washington to meet US president Bill Clinton to show how Hong Kong was moving forward smoothly.

Milestones as leader
Dubbed the “7-11 Chief Executive” for keeping long working hours, Tung enjoyed a brief honeymoon period after taking office, with his popularity rating peaking at 70.4 marks in September that year.
But within months, the Asian financial crisis struck, subjecting the local currency to attacks by international hedge funds aiming to break the Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US dollar.
Tung’s administration deployed HK$118 billion to buy local shares and defeat the currency speculators, protecting the financial system from collapse.
At the time, financial secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen recalled Tung’s unwavering support for his decision which appeared to go against the city’s free-market philosophy.
“I cried two or three times because I didn’t want to lose taxpayers’ money and because it was against my fiscal philosophy,” Tsang said. “When I asked Mr Tung about this, he agreed to it in half an hour.”
Tung was also credited with ensuring Hong Kong Disneyland became Asia’s second Disney resort, spearheading the development of the Cyberport tech hub and laying the groundwork for the West Kowloon Cultural District.
He is also remembered for overhauling the civil service system in 2002 when he started his second term. The Principal Officials Accountability System, which he introduced, transformed bureau heads into political appointees answerable for major policy failures.
Public health and political crises
His leadership faced strain during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003, which claimed nearly 300 lives in the city.
Pressure escalated that year when his administration tried to pass controversial national security legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.
The push, coming amid the post-Sars economic downturn, livelihood problems and a negative equity crisis, sparked a mass protest of about 500,000 residents, forcing him to shelve the bill.
Following the demonstration demanding his resignation, Tung defended his choice to remain in office: “If I decide to step down, it would be an easy decision. But to stay is difficult; it requires courage and greater commitment.”
Tung eventually resigned in March 2005, citing health reasons.

From shipping tycoon to leader
Tung was born in Shanghai on July 7, 1937, the son of Tung Chao-yung, who founded Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL).
The family’s roots in Shanghai shaped Tung’s formative years and helped later align him with the Beijing leadership. Jiang Zemin was surrounded by elites associated with Shanghai when he rose to the pinnacle of the country’s leadership.
The family moved to Hong Kong in 1947, and after graduating with a degree in marine engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1960 and working in the United States, Tung returned to Hong Kong in 1969, taking the helm of OOCL following his father’s death in 1982.
Tung was appointed a member of the Basic Law Consultative Committee in 1985 and was given a seat on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1992.
During a Preparatory Committee meeting in 1996 where Tung served as vice-chairman, Jiang famously gave him an extended handshake in front of the press, which was interpreted as a sign of Beijing’s endorsement.
On December 11, 1996, Tung was chosen by a 400-strong selection committee to become the first chief executive of Hong Kong with 320 votes, beating former chief justice Ti-liang Yang and businessman Peter Woo Kwong-ching.

Elder statesman and US-China envoy
Tung remained active in public life after he stepped down in 2005.
Serving as a vice-chairman of the CPPCC, he leveraged his extensive ties with American leaders to encourage dialogue between China and the United States. He is one of the few Hong Kong politicians to have officially met two US presidents, Bill Clinton and George W Bush.
He founded the China-United States Exchange Foundation in 2008 to encourage dialogue between the two nations and started a think tank, Our Hong Kong Foundation, in 2014.
In 2015, Tung joined Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official state visit to the US to meet president Barack Obama, playing an important role in behind-the-scenes talks. He arrived ahead of the delegation to act as a senior envoy.
Concerns about his health began to grow in March 2021 when Tung fell over at the end of the National People’s Congress meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Tung was last seen in public in July that year, attending the premiere of a film to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Months later, his spokesman said Tung had undergone an operation for an undisclosed condition and was resting at home.
Tung is survived by his wife Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, whom he married in 1961, three children and nine grandchildren.


Tung Chee-hwa’s legacy helps lay foundations for better tomorrows

‘His love for Hong Kong was profound’: Tung Chee-hwa honoured at state funeral

Hong Kong’s first chief executive Tung Chee-hwa honoured with state funeral

US Congress investigates diversion of sensitive F-35 parts to Hong Kong: report

Hong Kong politics

Tung Chee-hwa’s rise to first Hong Kong chief executive and elder statesman

Tung Chee-hwa, the first chief executive of Hong Kong following the transfer of sovereignty to China on July 1, 1997, has died. Photo: May Tse

Chief executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa meets Hong Kong’s last governor, Chris Patten, in 1996. Photo: Robert Ng

Chinese President Jiang Zemin (left) shakes hands with Tung Chee-hwa during a duty visit in Beijing in December 2001. Photo: Xinhua

Tung Chee-hwa (right) and his successor, Donald Tsang (third from right), toast state and military officials during the 14th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover in 2011. Photo: Edmond So

Tung Chee-hwa is joined by Mickey and Minnie Mouse during a tour of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 2000. Photo: AP

Tung Chee-hwa was praised as a leader whose ideas were ahead of his time. Photo: Martin Chan

Chinese President Jiang Zemin (left) with Tung Chee-hwa in 2000. Photo: AP

Tung Chee-hwa holds a child during a community visit to Wong Tai Sin in 1997. Photo: Robert Ng

Ex-Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa to step down from China’s top political advisory body as vice-chairman, but no seat for Carrie Lam

The standing committee of the CPPCC met in Beijing this week. Photo: Xinhua

Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Carrie Lam’s term as chief executive ended last July. Photo: Robert Ng

Luo Huining (left) with Leung Chun-ying, Tung Chee-hwa and Carrie Lam at a forum in 2021. Photo: Nora Tam

Former Hong Kong leader sets up new online channel to promote national identity, ‘deep sense of belonging’ among young people

Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The Chinese and Hong Kong flag photographed outside of the West Kowloon Courts in Sham Shui Po. 13DEC18 SCMP / Roy Issa

A cotton harvester works in the field in Hami in northwest China's Xinjiang region Friday, Oct. 09, 2020. H&M products were missing from major e-commerce platforms including Alibaba and JD.com following calls by state media for a boycott over the Swedish retailer's decision to stop buying cotton from Xinjiang. (Chinatopix Via AP)

Former Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie attends the launching ceremony of China Current, online education channel found by former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. Photo: Handout

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Shipping tycoon steered city through stormy post-handover era of economic and health crises before helping improve US-China ties


Shipping tycoon steered city through stormy post-handover era of economic and health crises before helping improve US-China ties.


Tung Chee-hwa’s rise to first Hong Kong chief executive and elder statesman

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Shipping tycoon steered city through stormy post-handover era of economic and health crises before helping improve US-China ties

Shipping tycoon steered city through stormy post-handover era of economic and health crises before helping improve US-China ties