Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's first post-handover leader, dies at 89

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's first post-handover leader, has died aged 89. His turbulent tenure became an early test of the city's one country, two systems model.

In Short

• His office said he passed away peacefully with family present
• His tenure faced Asian financial turmoil, bird flu and SARS outbreaks
• Critics faulted slow crisis responses, media distrust and frequent policy gaffes

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's first leader after the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule, has died at the age of 89. His office said in a statement that he passed away peacefully on Tuesday in the presence of his family members.

A shipping tycoon with little political experience, Tung led Hong Kong through a turbulent period marked by the Asian financial crisis, bird flu, SARS and growing demands for democracy. His years in office also tested the still-new "one country, two systems" framework under which Hong Kong was meant to retain civil liberties while Beijing kept the final say on major political questions.

Tung was chosen in 1997 by a panel of pro-Beijing elites to become the southern Chinese territory's first post-handover leader. Many believed Beijing saw him as a loyalist who would follow the Communist leadership's line. He was also seen as indebted to Beijing after China's state-run banks helped rescue his family's shipping company, Orient Overseas Container Line, during a global slump in the 1980s.

He was praised for his work ethic and was nicknamed "7-11" for his long working days. But as crises mounted, his awkward political style and perceived indecisiveness damaged his standing, earning him the less flattering nickname "Old Dumb Tung".

Soon after he took office, Hong Kong was struck by bird flu, the first known human cases of the virus, while the city's economy was also hit by the financial crisis that spread across Asia. Tung's handling of both crises was widely criticised. His distrust of the media further hurt his efforts to improve his public image, and he was also known for policy gaffes that made him a target of jokes.

Despite a difficult first term, Tung was re-elected unopposed by the pro-Beijing electoral committee in 2002. The following year brought another major challenge when SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, hit Hong Kong, killing nearly 300 people and badly hurting the economy. His government was accused of responding in a sloppy and slow manner.

Later in 2003, Tung faced even stronger criticism after proposing an anti-subversion law known locally as Article 23 legislation. Many people saw it as a threat to civil liberties, and an estimated half a million joined a street march against it. The government later dropped the proposal. In 2004, another mass protest was held to demand direct elections for Hong Kong's leader and the entire legislature. Tung backed China's communist leaders, who rejected the demand, and the rally went on to become an annual event for pro-democracy supporters for years.

The scale of the protests appeared to show Beijing that Hong Kong society was becoming more politically divided and that Tung was losing control. He confirmed on March 10, 2005, that he was stepping down, saying poor health was the reason and not pressure from Beijing. "If I continue as chief executive, I won't be able to handle it," he said. Many people doubted that explanation because no health problems had been visible in the months before his resignation.

Tung was born in Shanghai on May 29, 1937, and moved with his family to Hong Kong in 1947, two years before the Communists took control of mainland China. After getting a degree in marine engineering from the University of Liverpool in 1960, he worked for General Electric and his family's shipping company in the United States before returning to Hong Kong in 1969.

After leaving office, Tung started a think tank and remained loyal to Beijing during the 2019 pro-democracy protests and the later crackdown in which the central government imposed a national security law on the city that outlawed subversion. In September 2019, as the protests continued, he was among 42 people given national medals and honours by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for their contribution to the country. He was recognised for devoting himself to the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy. Since the security law was enacted in 2020, the mass protests that once challenged his leadership have disappeared from the city, and Tung had not been seen at public events in recent years.

Tung's death closes the story of a leader whose years in office were shaped by public health emergencies, economic turmoil and deep political divisions, and whose tenure became closely tied to the early test of Hong Kong's post-handover system.

With PTI Inputs

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