Inset: Former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa was honored with the China Institute Centennial Award on Thursday in recognition of his long-standing contributions to promoting mutual understanding between the people of China and the United States.
Tung received the award at the China Institute of America’s Centennial Gala in New York alongside the family of former US presidents George HW Bush and George W Bush — represented by George HW Bush’s son Neil Bush on behalf of himself and his father — and the families of former US president Richard Nixon and former US vice-president Nelson Rockefeller.
Tung served as the first chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, from 1997 to 2005, and later as vice‑chairperson of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee from 2005-23. In 2008, he founded the China‑United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and serves as its chairman emeritus.
China Institute of America CEO George Geh said Tung was being recognized because his career embodies the institute’s long-held belief that culture provides “a far stronger foundation for relations than politics alone”.
Founded in 1926 by American educators John Dewey and Paul Monroe, and Chinese scholars Hu Shi and Kuo Ping-Wen, the China Institute of America is a renowned nonprofit organization dedicated to deepening international understanding of China through programs in art, business, cuisine, culture, and education.
Accepting the award on his father’s behalf in New York, CUSEF Vice-Chairman Andy Tung Lieh-cheung said his father has always believed that trust requires patience, listening and a willingness to seek common ground despite differences.
“He believes that while our two nations have fundamental differences, they also share important interests and must find ways to work together,” he said.
He added that such a belief is reflected in the mission of CUSEF, which he described as a platform devoted to dialogue — “where differences become starting points rather than end points”.
CUSEF President James Chau described Tung as a statesman who had spent a lifetime creating space for genuine exchange and understanding, adding that CUSEF would continue to carry that spirit forward in its work.
The gala, which marked the 100th anniversary of the China Institute of America, brought together leaders from diplomacy, business, academia and the arts.