ABSTRACT

The visit to Washington by Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), in July 2001 was special in more ways than one. What was most remarkable was the high-level reception: the Hong Kong supremo not only met Secretary of State Colin Powell but also had a full thirty minutes with President George W.Bush at the White House. By contrast, Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, who was in the American capital on the same day, had to content himself with a session with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice (South China Morning Post (SCMP), 11 July 2001).