Business as usual: The dynamics of government-business relations in the Hong Kong special administrative region

Journal of Contemporary China

Volumn 8, Issue 21, 1999, Pages 275-295

  Tang, James T H ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG   (Hong Kong)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

GOVERNANCE APPROACH; GOVERNMENT RELATIONS; POLITICAL CHANGE; POLITICAL ECONOMY;

CHINA; HONG KONG;

EID: 0032857287     PISSN: 10670564     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10670569908724348     Document Type: Article

References (72)

1. Asian Executive Poll, Far Eastern Economic Review, (29 May 1997).
2. Louis Kraar, 'The death of Hong Kong', Fortune 131(12), (26 June 1995), pp. 44-52.
3. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, David Newman and Alvin Rabushka, Red Flag Over Hong Kong (Chatham, N.J.: Chatham House, 1996), pp. 114-117.
4. Sino-British Joint Declaration Six-monthly Report to Parliament, July-December 1997 (London: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1998).
5. Bryan T. Johnson, Kim R. Holmes and Melanie Kirkpatrick, The 1999 Index of Economic Freedom (Washington DC: Heritage Foundation, 1998).
6. Trade Policy Review: Hong Kong, China (Geneva: World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review Body, December 1998).
7. The amount spent (HK$ 118 billion) on 26 October 1998 was disclosed following the first board meeting of the Exchange Fund Investment Limited. The company was set up by the government to manage the government's share holdings independently and on a level-playing field with other market players.
8. See for example a letter by Joseph Yam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Financial Times, (17 August 1998).
9. Preface in Bryan T. Johnson, Kim R. Holmes and Melanie Kirkpatrick, The 1999 Index of Economic Freedom (Washington DC: Heritage Foundation, 1998).
10. Businessman Ronnie Chan Chi-chung suggested that the business community has become less influential because of the growing concentration of power in the hands of political parties and interest groups, see South China Morning Post, (12 December 1998).
11. One of Hong Kong's most famous businessman, Li Ka-shing, declared that he intended to pull out of a HK$ 10 billion project because he was not pleased with the political environment in Hong Kong, where some members of a political party attacked him for suing buyers who had defaulted on flat purchases developed by his company, see South China Morning Post, (23 December 1998).
12. Remarks by Eden Woon Yi-teng of the General Chamber of Commerce were reported in South China Morning Post, (24 December 1998).
13. Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose (Hamonsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1980), pp. 47-54.
14. Milton Friedman Rose Friedman, Free to Choose Ibid., p. 55.
15. A comprehensive account of how Hong Kong was governed is given in: Norman Miners, Government and Politics of Hong Kong (5th edition with post-handover update by James T. H. Tang) (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1998).
16. A comparative study of the different paths of economic and political development in East Asia is Anek Laothamatas, ed., Democracy in Southeast and East Asia (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1997).
17. Manuel Castels argued that the level of intervention in Hong Kong is as significant as in other East Asian states, and described it as a colonial welfare state, but he conceded that the Hong Kong state's involvement was more subtle and indirect. See his 'Four Asian tigers with a dragon head: a comparative analysis of the state, economy, and society in the Asian Pacific rim', in Richard P. Appelbaum and Jeffrey Henderson, eds, States and Development in the Asia Pacific Rim (Newbury Park: Sage, 1992), pp. 45-49.
18. Hong Kong 1997 (Hong Kong: Information Services Department, 1997), p. 64.
19. Michael J. Enright, Edith E. Scott and David Dodwell, The Hong Kong Advantage (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997), p. 30.
20. See for example, Yasheng Huang, 'The economic and political integration of Hong Kong: implications for government-business relations', in Warren I. Cohen and Li Zhao, eds, Hong Kong Under Chinese Rule: The Economic and Political Implications of Reversion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 95-113.
21. Yash Ghai, Hong Kong's New Constitutional Order: The Resumption of Chinese Sovereignty and the Basic Law (Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press, 1997), p. 152.
22. Donald Tsang, The 1997-98 Budget: Continuity in a Time of Change, 12 March 1997 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government, 1997).
23. Donald Tsang, The 1997-98 Budget: Continuity in a Time of Change, 1997 Ibid.;
24. Donald Tsang, The 1998-99 Budget, Riding Out the Storm: Renewing Hong Kong Strengths, 18 February 1998 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, 1998).
25. Donald Tsang, The 1998-99 Budget, Riding Out the Storm: Renewing Hong Kong Strengths, Ibid., pp. 8-9.
26. Speech by the Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa, at a lunch hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Conseil National du Patronat Francais International (French Employers' Association), in Paris, Wednesday, 11 March 1998.
27. Full details of the economic situation in early 1998 can be found in the government's First Quarter Economic Report 1998 (Hong Kong: HKSAR government, May 1998).
28. Joseph Yam, 'Intervention true to guiding policy', South Ch ina Morning Post, (24 August 1998).
29. Norman Miners, The Government and Politics of Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 5th edition, 1991), p. 47.
30. For an analysis of the impact of protectionism on the world trading system see: Jagdish Bhagwati, The World Trading System at Risk (Princeton: Princeton University, 1991);
31. a useful survey of economic developments in East Asia is given in Iyanatul Islam and Anis Chowdhury, Asia-Pacific Economies: A Survey (London: Routledge 1997).
32. For a brief discussion of the Hong Kong government's changing role see Anthony Cheung, "Why there is more government intervention after the change of sovereignty?', Policy Bulletin of the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute, No. 6, (July 1998).
33. Hong Kong 1997 (Hong Kong: Information Services Department, 1997), p. 64.
34. Building Hong Kong for a New Era, Address by the Chief Executive the honorurable Time Chee Hwa at the Provisional Legislative Council meeting on 8 October 1997 (Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, 1997), paragraph 16.
35. From Adversity to Opportunity, Address by the Chief Executive The Honourable Tung Chee Hwa at the Legislative Council meeting on 7 October 1998 (Hong Kong: HKSAR government, 1998).
36. See discussions in Andrew MacIntyre, ed., Business and Government in Industrializing Asia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994), pp. 3-4.
37. The standard work on the subject is: Frederic Deyo, The Political Economy of The New Asian Industralism (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1987).
38. See also Yu-han Chu, 'State structure and economic adjustment of the East Asian newly industrializing countries', International Organization 43(4);
39. Stephan Haggard, Pathways from the Periphery: The Politics of Growth in the Newly Industrailizing Countries (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990).
40. Norman Miners, Government and Politics of Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1994), p. 46.
41. See section on different state characteristics in the discussions of government-business collaboration by Ben Ross Schneider and Sylvia Maxfield, 'Business, the state, and economic performance in developing countries', in Sylvia Maxfield and Ben Ross Schneider, eds, Business and The Slate in Developing Countries (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997), p. 21.
42. Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau; Civil Service Bureau; Constitutional Affairs Bureau; Economic Services Bureau; Education and Manpower Bureau; Finance Bureau; Financial Services Bureau; Health and Welfare Bureau; Home Affairs Bureau; Housing Bureau; Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau; Security Bureau; Trade and Industry Bureau; Transport Bureau; and Works Bureau.
43. Agriculture and Fisheries Department; Architectural Services Department; Audit Department; Auxiliary Medical Services; Buildings Department; Census and Statistics Department; Civil Aid Services; Civil Aviation Department; Civil Engineering Department; Civil Service Training and Development Institute; Companies Registry; Correctional Services Department; Customs and Excise Department; Drainage Services Department; Education Department; Electrical and Mechanical Services Department; Environmental Protection Department; Fire Services Department; Government Flying Service; Government Laboratory; Government Land Transport Agency; Government Property Agency; Government Supplies Department; Health Department; Highways Department; Home Affairs Department; Hospital Services Department; Housing Authority; Housing Department; Immigration Department; Industry Department; Information Services Department; Information Technology Services Department; Inland Revenue Department; Intellectual Property Department; Labour Department; Lands Department; Land Registry; Legal Department; Legal Aid Department; Management Services Agency; Marine Department; New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office (Hong Kong Airport Core Programme); Official Receiver's Office; Official Language Agency; Planning Department; Post Office; Printing Department; Public Records Office; Radio Television Hong Kong; Rating and Valuation Department; Regional Services Department; Registration and Electoral Office; Royal Hong Kong Police Force; Royal Observatory; Social Welfare Department; Student Financial Assistance Agency; Telecommunications Authority; Office of the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority; Territory Development Department; Trade Department; Transport Department; Treasury; Urban Services Department; Water Supplies Department; Airport Authority; Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority; Consumer Council; Employees Retraining Board; Equal Opportunities Commission; Hong Kong Arts Development Council; Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation; Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health; Hong Kong Examinations Authority; Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation; Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation; Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation; Hong Kong Monetary Authority; Hong Kong Productivity Council; Hong Kong Sports Development Board; Hong Kong Tourist Association; Hong Kong Trade Development Council; Hospital Authority; Independent Commission Against Corruption; Independent Police Complaints Council; Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation; Legal Aid Services Council; Mass Transit Railway Corporation; Occupational Safety and Health Council; the Ombudsman; Port Development Board; Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data; Office of the Public Service Commission; Securities and Futures Commission; Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service; University Grants Committee; Vocational Training Council.
44. The official version of the roles of the Bureau is given in its website, Hong Kong Government Information Centre: http://www.info.gov.hk/fb.
45. Details of the Trade Department's work are given in the department's website, Hong Kong Government Information Centre: http://www.info.gov/trade/department/.
46. Industry Department website, Hong Kong Government Information Centre http://www.ingo.gov.hk/id/.
47. For a brief official history of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission see the Commission's website: http://www.hksfc.org.hk/eng/about/backgrnd.htm, 'Historic Background to the SFC', June 1997.
48. Report on Financial Markets Review (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, April 1998).
49. 'Measures to tighten up securities and futures markets', Daily Information Bulletin, (7 September 1998).
50. Hong Kong Monetary Authority website, Hong Kong Government Information Centre: http://info.gov.hk/ hkma/.
51. http://info.gov.hk/hkma/ Ibid.
52. For a discussion of the issue see The Hong Kong Dollar Link by Joseph Yam (Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority), Speech at Hong Kong Trade Development Council Financial Roadshow in Tokyo, (3 March 1998).
53. Donald Tsang, The 1997-98 Budget: Continuity in a Time of Change, (12 March 1997).
54. The 1997 Policy Address: Policy Programmes (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, 1997), p. 308.
55. From Adversity to Opportunity, Address by the Chief Executive The Honourable Tung Chee Hwa at the Legislative Council meeting on 7 October 1998 (Hong Kong: HKSAR government, 1998).
56. The Chief Executive announced in his 1998 policy speech that government departments and agencies would have to deliver 5% productivity gain of their operating expenditure between 1998 and 2002.
57. For a detailed analysis of political developments in Hong Kong see discussions in Lo Shiu-hing, The Politics of Democratization in Hong Kong (London: Macmillan, 1997), especially chapters 2, 3 and 4.
58. For discussions on the 1995 elections see Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Timothy K.Y. Wong, eds, The 1995 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996).
59. See Norman Miners, 'Consultation with business interests: the case of Hong Kong', The Asian Journal of Public Administration 18(2), (December 1996), p. 254.
60. Members of the SAR government's first Executive Council are: the Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa; Chief Secretary for Administration, Anson Chan; Financial Secretary, Donald Tsang; Secretary for Justice, Miss Elsie Leung; Sze-yuen, Chung (convenor); Nellie Fong; Rosanna Wong; Henry Tang; Charles Lee; Tam Yiu-chung; Yang Ti-liang; Leung Chun-ying; Anthony Leung; Raymond Ch'ien; and Chung Shui-ming.
61. Details of the elections are well covered by the local press. See for example, South China Morning Post, (25 and 26 May).
62. Official election results are given in Daily Information Bulletin, (25 May 1998).
63. Economic Information on Hong Kong and China, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, 5 June 1997. For an analysis of mainland China-Hong Kong economic relations also see: Yun-Wing Sung, The China-Hong Kong Connection (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991).
64. Hong Kong Monetary Authority website, Hong Kong Government Information Centre.
65. Ibid.
66. Wong Siu-lun, 'Business and politics in Hong Kong during the transition', Hong Kong in Transition 1992 (Hong Kong: One Country Two Systems Research Institute, 1993), pp. 489-514. See, in particular, pp. 491-500.
67. See South China Morning Post, (25 June 1997),
68. Wen Wei Po, (24 June 1997),
69. and Ming Pao Editorial, (25 June 1997).
70. James Tien, 'Playing to our strength', South China Morning Post, (29 June 1997).
71. Protection of the Harbour Ordinance; Employment (Amendment) (No. 4) Ordinance 1997; Occupational Deafness (Compensation) (Amendment) Ordinance 1997; Employment (Amendment) (No. 5) Ordinance 1997; Employees' Rights to Representation, Consultation and Collective Bargaining Ordinance 1997; Trade Unions (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 1997; and Hong Kong Bill of Rights (Amendment) Ordinance 1997.
72. Press release by the government, (8 July 1997).