“From colony to one country, two systems — and no regrets” | Mike Rowse on 50 years in Hong Kong

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My own 50th anniversary in Hong Kong comes up in three years. We touched down at the old Kai Tak airport, the one smack bang in the centre of town, in August 1976. Emerald city, I thought it, as we came in at night over the famous harbour, the twinkling skyline, the glistening harbour, the rooftops, close to touch.

I met Mike Rowse when we were both civil servants, at some function or other, though I’d doubt he’d remember. We were both civil servants, he with the Hong Kong government, me with the Australian, in our Consulate-General, in charge of Austrade offices in East Asia.

I share Mike’s feelings of no regrets, none at all. It’s more like gratitude for the chance that brought me to Asia. I criticise Hong Kong and its government, a lot, but it’s out of love for the place, much as Mike does. 

I was, I remain, a big fan of Deng Xiaoping. Even as we know he called the troops in on the Tiananmen demonstrators in June 1989. That’s a big negative. The even bigger positives are (1) opening China to the world which raised 600 million out of poverty, and (2) here in our little Hong Kong, coming up with the famous “One country, two systems” formula, which operates, largely, to this day. Those are huge entries on the plus side of Deng’s ledger. 

And then there’s Murray McLehose, the famous, storied governor of Hong Kong. His big legacies: (1) public housing and (2) the Independent Commission against Corruption, much admired and imitated across the world. Including in China, but in a weird way. Another story.