No names, but Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing drops heavy hint he backs Carrie Lam as next leader

City’s richest man highlights need for good ties with Beijing as John Tsang extends lead over former chief secretary in University of Hong Kong poll

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Tycoon Li Ka-shing dropped a heavy hint he would back Carrie Lam in Sunday’s chief executive election. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 11:45pm, 22 Mar 2017Updated: 6:15pm, 27 Mar 2017

Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, broke his silence on Wednesday to express support for leading chief executive contender Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor without naming her, saying he would vote for a candidate trusted by Beijing.

The remarks by the chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings came a week after his younger son Richard Li Tzar-kai made a similar endorsement and just four days before the 1,194 members of the Election Committee choose the next leader.

But Li’s pick appears to be at odds with mainstream opinion in the city, as the latest poll conducted by the University of Hong Kong found the rating for underdog John Tsang Chun-wah for the first time exceeding 50 per cent. It had him ahead of Lam by 20 percentage points.

“Popularity certainly is important, but maintaining a good working relationship with the central government is also crucial,” said Li when he was asked about the chief executive race in a CK Hutchison Holdings press conference on Wednesday.

While Li did not say Lam’s name throughout the hour-long conference, his reference was clear as the former chief secretary is seen as Beijing’s favoured candidate.

“Hong Kong faces a number of problems today, such as the housing problem. If the chief executive has a better working relationship and cooperation with the central government, it will create miracles for Hong Kong and reduce a lot of unnecessary disputes,” Li said, pledging to vote for the contender trusted by Beijing.

When asked which was more important –the chief executive’s relationship with Beijing or with Hongkongers – Li opted for the former and said he had to pick the “lesser of two evils”.