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SIPA Global Fellow
Tung Chee Hwa
Former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Biography
Tung Chee Hwa was the first elected Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China. He took office on July 1, 1997, after the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, and was elected again to a second five-year term in 2002.
Tung was born in Shanghai in 1937 and later moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1947, where he joined the Orient Overseas shipping business founded by his father.
He studied in Britain and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine engineering. He then worked for General Electric and his family’s business in the United States, before returning to Hong Kong in 1969 to join the family business there.
Tung became a member of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Consultative Committee for the Basic Law of HKSAR in 1985. In 1992, he became one of the first groups of advisors on HKSAR affairs. He served as a member of Executive Council of HKSAR between 1992 and 1996 and as vice chairman of the HKSAR Preparatory Committee of the National People's Congress in 1995. On December 11, 1996, Tung won the first election of the chief executive of HKSAR by a wide margin and was formally appointed by the State Council on December 16, 1996. He was re-elected as the HKSAR Chief Executive on February 28, 2002 and served until March 2005. On March 12, 2005, Tung Chee Hwa was elected vice chairman of the 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. He is currently a vice chairman of the 11th CPPCC National Committee.
Tung was awarded a Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2006.He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree in Social Sciences (D.S.Sc) by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in November 2006.