Tung Chee-hwa.[ File photo ]

Tung Chee-hwa, first chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), has said Hong Kong is blessed with good future for two key reasons- - the advantage of the "one country, two systems" principle and the nation's powerful support for Hong Kong.

Tung, a businessman-turned politician, was sworn in as the first HKSAR chief executive on July 1, 1997, right after the city was returned to China.

He was re-elected in February 2002 and resigned for health reasons in March 2005. Days later his resignation, he was elected vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top advisory body. In March 2008, he was re-elected vice chairman of the CPPCC.

Confident of HK's future

Describing Hong Kong's development since the 1997 handover as " really very good", Tung said the city has successfully maintained prosperity despite challenges that came one after another, such as the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in early 2003 and the global financial tsunami.

"We stand up to these challenges, and overcome them one by one, " the 75-year-old, easily recognized with silvery white hair and eyebrows, told Xinhua in a recent interview at his downtown office in Hong Kong.

"Looking back on the last 15 years, I think the most important (things) are -- one is that the nation has been a powerful backing of Hong Kong's development, and the other is the unparalleled advantage of the 'one country, two systems' policy," Tung said.

"Because of the backing and the advantage, plus the hard work of the Hong Kong people, we have been able to overcome various difficulties in the last 15 years and maintain prosperity and stability of the city."

He said the rapid development of the Chinese mainland is set to continue propelling Hong Kong's growth. The mainland's gross domestic product currently amounts to over 7 trillion U.S. dollars, more than double that eight years ago, which is predicted to surpass 14 trillion U.S. dollars in the next 10 years. Hong Kong will participate in and benefit from the mainland's growth story, he said.

On the other hand, the "one country, two systems" policy allows Hong Kong to maintain its unique political and legal systems, which is very important to the city as one of the global financial hubs. At the same time, Hong Kong can continue giving full play to its advantages to contribute more to the nation's development, he said.

"For these two most important reasons -- the 'one country, two systems' principle and support of the nation -- Hong Kong's future will definitely be very bright," he said.

Tung had a famous saying in the early days of the HKSAR -- " When Hong Kong is good, the nation will be good; when the nation is good, Hong Kong will be better". He often uses these simple words to describe the relations between Hong Kong and the country.

Tung said Hong Kong has since 1978 made important contributions to the mainland's reform and opening-up drive, while sharing the fruits of the mainland's explosive growth.

"Today, Hong Kong and the mainland are certainly closely interconnected in destinies. We are happy about and proud of it."

The Hong Kong people have come to realize that it is good for Hong Kong to integrate with the mainland and grow along with each other, he said.

Unforgettable moments

Tung had been serving as chief executive for nearly eight years. Looking back on those years, he said there were several moments he wouldn't forget in his life.

The first was the midnight of June 30, 1997, when China's national flag was slowly hoisted to the top of a pole in a high- profile ceremony marking the return of Hong Kong to its motherland from Britain. "At that moment, I believe every Chinese feel very proud," he said.

On July 1 that year, Tung took up a historic position and became the first chief executive.

"What was my feeling then? (It is) a mixture of excitement and humbleness. I know well the challenge ahead, which is a mission that allows no failure. That moment is really unforgettable in my life," he recalled, expressing his gratitude for the nation and Hong Kong in particular to endow him with the task.

Tung said the other unforgettable -- yet painful -- period of time was those days in early 2003 when Hong Kong was hit by the deadly SARS virus.

In the beginning, Tung said, no one knew what the disease was, let alone how to deal with it, so all people were gripped by the agony of worries. Later, people knew how to handle it, but the process of fighting the virus was still really tough.

"While we were fighting it, more people died. Nearly 300 people died in Hong Kong. It was really a painful period of time. I didn' t do well, and I feel really sad."

Tung is still heavy-hearted when recalling the epidemic more than nine years ago. He still remembered the special date -- June 24 of 2003, when the World Health Organization declared Hong Kong was free of the SARS virus.

Also unforgettable is the Chinese central government's support in those days, including the shipment of masks and protection suits which Hong Kong was in urgent need, he said.

Following the epidemic, he said the central government rolled out a wealth of measures to support Hong Kong's economic recovery in the landmark CEPA agreement with Hong Kong. Among them is the individual tourist scheme that allows individual mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and the permit for Hong Kong banks to start the offshore trading of the Chinese currency.