China Seminar | 13 December 1990

Prospects for Hong Kong

Derek Davies was Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review from 1962 to 1989. He has since retired from that position but continues as Consultant Editor, writing his ever popular weekly Traveller’s Tales column. Mr. Davies was educated in Britain and served with the British Army in Trieste (now part of Italy) from 1949-1951, after which he took up an open scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge. He has a Master of Arts degree in English, French and Italian. After graudating in 1954 he joined Reuters News Agency and after a couple of years in Fleet Street he became a diplomat, joining the British Foreign Office. From 1957 to 1958 he served as Vice Consul in Hanoi, North Vietnam, and from 1959-61 as Third Secretary (Commercial) at the British Embassy in Vienna. In 1962 he joined the Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong and became its editor in 1964. He has travelled widely, especially within Asia and has contributed to many Asian, European, U.S. and Australian publications. He left Hong Kong earlier this year to begin a year’s fellowship with the East-West Center’s Special Projects.