Timeline: Hong Kong, 1997-2007

Zhu Rongji, Tung Chee Hwa
AP

Feb. 19, 2002: Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, appointed by Beijing in 1997 to serve as Hong Kong's first post-colonial leader, is reelected. The campaign isn't much of a nail-biter: Tung runs unopposed after receiving 90 percent support from Hong Kong's 800-member Election Committee, stocked with Beijing loyalists, and is warmly congratulated by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during a three-day visit. Still, the honeymoon is short. With many Hong Kongers frustrated by the city's still-stumbling economy, the administration continues to draw public ire while Tung's popularity begins to slide.