Tung chee-hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive, has got a new appointment after nearly eight undistinguished years as the territory's first post-colonial leader. The job is not one he will be excited about. He has been named as an adviser to China's parliament, a position often handed out as a sinecure for retired officials. The question is whether this means that he will quit his day job-as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have been urging for the past two years (a protest, with Mr Tung as balloon, is shown above). He probably will, or indeed has. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have studiously avoided denying media reports this week that he has already submitted his resignation. An official announcement might possibly be delayed until March 12th, the day when he will be appointed vice-chairman of the advisory Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Mr Tung has served on this body before, but stepped down in 1997 when China appointed him Hong Kong's first chief executive after Britain's withdrawal.
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