Hong Kong: China's New Colony

Leading Asia writer and commentator Stephen Vines examines the institutions, infrastructure, people and events that have made Hong Kong into one of the world's major centres of capitalism. With Hong Kong now in China's hands, Vines looks at the future of Hong Kong and the survival of its vibrant free economy. The book starts from a personal perspective explaining what it really is like to live in the new Hong Kong and what it was like waiting for over a decade for the change of sovereignty to come. Then there is a look at the covulated history which led to the end of the British rule and the turning point of the handover in 1989. In later chapters Stephen Vines focuses on Tung Chee-hwa comparing him with the last Governor, Chris Patten. Much of what is happening now the author reports is a direct result of trends, policies and people who were at the centre of Hong Kong in the old order. The latter part of the book is taken up with examining the pressure points and crucial issues for the new Hong Kong. This means looking in detail at the economy, at investment, at the new political order, the media, the legal system and other issues which are determining the fate of the Special Administrative Region (SAR).