Hong Kong pays tribute to Tung Chee-hwa, inaugural leader of the post-handover era

Hong Kong is mourning Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first leader following its return to Chinese sovereignty and a respected elder statesman, who died on Tuesday aged 89.

According to state news agency Xinhua, Tung was surrounded by family members when he “passed away peacefully” at 9.57pm.

Tributes and messages of condolence arrived on Wednesday from Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. Senior officials, politicians, business leaders and others honoured his pioneering role as the first leader to administer the city under “one country, two systems” following the end of British rule in 1997.

Mourners credited Tung with guiding Hong Kong through an uncertain transition and helping lay the foundations for its post-handover prosperity. They also recognised his later work as an elder statesman, particularly his efforts to improve relations between the United States and China.

Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, in a statement, described Tung as a “close friend of the Communist Party of China,” an “outstanding contributor to ‘one country, two systems’” and a “renowned patriot,” while the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office sent condolences to his wife, Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping.

The offices said Tung had made “major historic contributions” to Hong Kong’s smooth return to China and had confronted complex political, economic and social challenges during the special administrative region’s formative years.

They also highlighted his work after leaving office, including his support for successive chief executives and administrations, his efforts to strengthen ties between Hong Kong and the mainland, and his use of international connections to promote exchanges between China and the wider world.

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