Was the timing determined by Beijing? China has always been wary of Chan, who was appointed by the reformist former British governor Chris Patten. Her conflicts with her Beijing-appointed boss, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, were legendary in Hong Kong’s media. In September Beijing summoned and publicly rep-rimanded her for not showing enough support for Tung. Chan denied she was being forced out. “My decision,” she said, “is unrelated to my visit to Beijing.”
