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Tung Chee-Hwa, Hong Kong's First Post-Colonial Leader, Dies at Age 89
His tenure was marked by the Asian financial crisis, Sars and mass protests, and he later led major China-focused civic groups.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong's first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, died at age 89, with his office confirming he passed away peacefully surrounded by family members.
Born in Shanghai in 1937, Tung led the shipping firm Orient Overseas for 14 years before a 400-member committee elected him with 320 votes in 1997.
His tenure faced the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 Sars outbreak; a July 1, 2003 mass protest forced Tung to withdraw a controversial national security Bill.
Tung resigned in 2005 citing health concerns, later serving 18 years as vice-chairman of the Political Consultative Conference and founding the China-United States Exchange Foundation.
Following years of declining health since 2021 surgery, Tung is survived by his wife, Betty Chiu, and three children; his net worth was US$3.2 billion.