Foundation collects tributes to Hong Kong’s Tung Chee-hwa for online memorial

The China-United States Exchange Foundation has launched a permanent tribute webpage to Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, and collected more than 100 reflections from political and business heavyweights around the world.The foundation, established by Tung in 2008, said the webpage, which launched on Monday, included tributes from Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and Max Baucus, former United States ambassador to China.“This permanent tribute not only placemarks his remarkable record of public service but honours his lifelong belief that dialogue can advance global peace, progress and prosperity,” foundation president James Chau said.“Above all, this tribute is intended to inspire a new generation to advance the cause to which Mr Tung was deeply devoted,” he said. “I saw first-hand Mr Tung’s exceptional sense of duty, generosity and conviction.”Among those who contributed to the memorial was Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong of the city state.Goh said his friendship with Tung went back to the early 1970s when they were both in the shipping industry.“I will remember him as a helpful, sincere, trustworthy friend whom I had the privilege of knowing for more than half a century,” he said.