Hong Kong's First Post-Colonial Leader Tung Chee-hwa Dies at 89

HONG KONG: Hong Kong 's first post-colonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, who struggled to cope with an Asian financial crisis and growing protests for democracy in the early years under Chinese rule, died Tuesday at age 89. His office said in a statement that Tung passed away peacefully in the presence of his family members. Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that he died of an unspecified illness. Tung, a shipping tycoon, had little political experience before a panel of pro-Beijing elites picked him to be the first leader of the southern Chinese territory after the end of British colonial rule in 1997. Many believe Beijing perceived Tung as a loyalist who would obey the Communist leadership's edicts. He was also seen as beholden to Beijing because China's state-run banks helped rescue his family's ailing shipping company — Orient Overseas Container Line — during a global slump in the 1980s. The early years after the handover were sensitive. The "one country, two systems" formula, in which Hong Kong was supposed to maintain civil liberties and other remnants of its British past while Beijing had the final say on issues such as political change, was still untested. Tung was praised for his work ethic, even nicknamed "7-11" because of his reputation for long workdays, but his clumsy political skills and perceived indecisiveness as major crises mounted eroded his popularity and led to a less flattering nickname, "Old Dumb Tung."