Hong Kong’s Future Chief Urges Patience

The man chosen to lead Hong Kong after the end of British rule in July said Thursday that he emerged from an initial round of meetings with China’s leadership “even more confident” about the territory’s future but urged democracy advocates to be patient and “realistic” in the early stages of his administration.

Shipping magnate Tung Chee-hwa, 59, elected by a pro-Beijing panel a week ago to be Hong Kong’s first chief executive when it reverts to mainland control, repeated his pledge to hold new elections in the territory as early as 1998.

Meantime, he said, people should give up hopes of saving Hong Kong’s 2-year-old elected legislature--introduced as a parting gift to Hong Kong by the lame-duck British administration after more than a century without a significant democratic presence in the colony. On Saturday, a 60-member Provisional Legislature will be selected from candidates approved by Beijing.

Political observers in Hong Kong have predicted political tensions as the outgoing and incoming legislative bodies vie for legitimacy in the fading light of British colonialism.

“The best way to minimize conflict is to recognize the reality of the Provisional Legislature,” Tung said at a news conference where he deftly fielded questions in English; Mandarin, the dialect spoken in Beijing; and Cantonese, the dialect of Hong Kong and southern China.

“There is a need for the Provisional Legislature to start meeting before July 1 because there is work that needs to be done in order to avoid a legal vacuum,” Tung said. Among the early duties of the Provisional Legislature, he said, is setting up a system for issuing new passports to Hong Kong residents.

In his first visit to Beijing since he was chosen Hong Kong chief executive--a position that will supplant that of the governor--Tung met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen.

The return of Hong Kong is seen as one of China’s greatest triumphs in 47 years of Communist rule. In front of the massive Revolutionary History Museum in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, a huge digital clock ticks off the days, hours and seconds remaining before the hand-over.

In Hong Kong, the mood preceding the hand-over may be apprehensive. But in Beijing, it is celebratory and a potent point for national pride. “You are the first Chinese chief executive for more than 100 years,” Jiang told Tung when the two men met Wednesday. “This truly demonstrates the principle of Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy.”

The Chinese government gave Tung a welcome equivalent to that for a visiting head of state.

What remained unclear after the two-day visit was where Tung will eventually fit in the ruling hierarchy and exactly to whom he will report. “I think I will not be ranked with anybody else because we are in a special situation,” he said.

In his first major address, delivered before a business group in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Tung stressed the hybrid Chinese and Western values of the territory that make it different from the mainland.

“We have the benefit of understanding Western culture,” he said, “but at the same time we have been brought up with the virtues of Chinese culture. We understand instinctively Chinese values such as humbleness, patience, persistence and hard work. Yet we also appreciate Western traits such as creativity, aggressiveness and directness that often get things done.”

But Tung also sent a warning to the mainland not to expect to exploit its rich, new territory: “We must also deal resolutely with any organization at the provincial and city level from mainland China who will be seeking special favors in establishing themselves in Hong Kong.”