Tung:wrong to change policy

Hong Kong's new leader criticises Tories

In an exclusive BBC interview, the man who will run Hong Kong after next month's handover attacked the changes made to the colony's political system. He says they shouldn't have gone ahead without China's agreement.

"The outgoing British Government's policy towards China and Hong Kong was changed, and I think it was wrong to do so," he said.

"It created a lot of uncertainty during a very complicated transition period, and I think that a new era is dawning for Hong Kong, and a new era is dawning for Britain too, with a new government," said Mr Tung.

But he went on to praise Britain for contributing to Hong Kong's success by introducing the concept of the rule of law, Western-style Government and freedom. He said he hoped the election of Tony Blair as Prime Minister would help to create a new atmosphere in Sino-British relations.

Demos: No crack down

On the issue of human rights, Mr Tung defended plans to tighten restrictions on public demonstrations, but he said there would be no crack-down on dissidents.

"The idea is not to stop people from demonstrating, because that is part of our culture," he said. "They will be free to demonstrate, but the important thing is to balance the rights of those people who want to demonstrate with the right of the community as a whole."

With less than thirty days to go to the handover, Mr Tung is preparing to take over one of the most difficult political jobs in the world, when he is in as Hong Kong's first post colonial leader. Hong Kong Handover