[Hong Kong News]Is there something in Li Zeju’s words? Li Ka-shing sells off Shanghai mansion again; “Highly talented” become the lifeboat of the mainland elite? | Cheung Kong Holdings | Li Zeju | International Financial Center | Li Ka-shing | Gao Caitong | 23 Articles | Immigration Property Sales | Sing Pao | Tan Hui | Li Xiannian | Xingmei Holdings

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**Is there something in the words? Li Zeju lamented that a status should not be lost**

Li Zeju, chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings, attended the results conference on the 21st and said that Hong Kong’s economy is currently in a difficult situation. How to deal with it depends on the authorities’ plans. He also bluntly stated that Hong Kong must maintain its status as an international financial center.

Li Zeju responded to the current economic situation in Hong Kong at the results meeting, saying that Hong Kong has experienced wave after wave of stress tests in recent years, including the 2019 social incidents and the CCP virus epidemic. He described how hard it is for Hong Kong people and how hard it seems for Hong Kong’s economy now. It depends on how the government responds.

He believes that there are only a few true international financial centers in the world, and Hong Kong has been one of them for many years. “This can be said to be hard-won. You must never lose this status.”

Regarding Changshi’s performance, last year it earned 20% less, with a profit of 17.3 billion yuan. Affected by the economic deterioration in Hong Kong and mainland China and the weak property market sentiment, property sales revenue fell by nearly 49%, and a final dividend of 1.62 yuan per share was paid, a decrease of 12% year-on-year.

Li Zeju pointed out that after the Hong Kong property market subsided, the market has become much more prosperous, and the downside opportunities are now also reduced. He also pointed out that the group has been developing in different places, but he has a special affection for Hong Kong. If the global market believes that the project has a reasonable return, it will definitely invest in Hong Kong.

In recent years, foreign companies and executives’ confidence in Hong Kong has been shaken by social unrest, strict epidemic prevention regulations, mainland China’s economic malaise, and the sharp reduction in political space under the national security law. The Hong Kong government has quickly passed 23 pieces of legislation, which is considered to be the perfect ending to its status as an international financial center. On this occasion, Li Zeju’s remarks about maintaining Hong Kong’s status as a financial center aroused heated discussions among netizens.

Some netizens said that Article 23 was unanimously passed, and Hong Kong can go all out to fight for the economy, but the giant brother is asking for help? Even if he already feels…

Some netizens also said that it has been lost and has been certified as a relic by the mainland.

Some netizens pointed out that it’s not about (not) don’t lose it, it’s about (is) that it’s already lost, and with the addition of 23 items, it’s about (is) that it’s gone and will never be returned.

In addition, the news that superman Li Ka-shing recently sold properties in high-end areas of Shanghai has also attracted attention from the outside world.

“Noble Domain” is located in Putuo Zhenru, one of the four major sub-centers in Shanghai. It is only 400 meters away from the subway station and has a commercial street downstairs. When it opened five years ago, it was sold very well, with the subscription ratio as high as 106%. On March 14 this year, 73 new houses were launched in the high-end sector, ranging from a two-bedroom apartment of 83 square meters to a four-bedroom apartment of 160 square meters. The price is the same as five years ago, about 90,000 yuan per square meter, which is cheaper than the surrounding second-hand houses. . Domestic media have said that these 73 new houses in high-end areas are equivalent to sales at a 15% discount. The news quickly became a trending topic.

Li Ka-shing is known for being a fast runner. Before Xi Jinping, leader of the Communist Party of China, began to allocate land to local tycoons in 2018, he had withdrawn his main assets from China and transferred them to Europe and the United States.

Some time ago, Li Ka-shing sold his new house, Qinhai Station, in Hong Kong at a 30% discount.

Some self-media wrote that after Li Chaoren sold out the Qinhai Station, the Hong Kong property market began to plummet; this time, he saw that Changshi had another sale of inventory at the bottom of the box in Shanghai. We suddenly want to know: Did Li Chaoren predict something again this time…

**Foreign media explains why “highly talented” became a lifeboat**

Since its implementation on December 28, 2022, the Hong Kong Government’s Talent Access Program has received about 70,000 applications, of which 55,000 have been approved. About 40,000 people have arrived in Hong Kong, and most of the applicants are mainlanders. The New York Times recently published a special report, unpacking the reasons why mainlanders come to Hong Kong with the help of “talented talents”.

Reports indicate that Hong Kong has lost its appeal as a cosmopolitan city to some expatriates, but for many mainlanders, it is still an attractive place to live and work.

The report interviewed many mainlanders who immigrated to Hong Kong through the Gao Caitong Program. Mr. Liu, a 27-year-old man who works in the logistics industry, and his wife said that they had long been tired of the party organization study activities at their workplace, and the hardships during the COVID-19 epidemic were the last straw for them. Mr. Liu also said that if he was monitored or questioned by his company in Hong Kong, he would not hesitate to take his passport and go to any free place. “You can stop me from saying it, but you can’t stop me from thinking or doing it.”

Mr. Wu, who works in the financial industry, said that the opportunity to immigrate was due to China’s strict epidemic control in 2022. He initially wanted to immigrate to Canada, but it was easier to apply for the High Talent Pass to come to Hong Kong. Although his salary did not increase as much as expected after coming to Hong Kong, Mr. Wu still thinks it is worth it. “(Hong Kong) is not a particularly free place, but everyone knows that people here have a sense of respect for the law.” He even bluntly said, “If China is a big ship, then Hong Kong is a lifeboat.”

In addition to considering their own future, many Chinese elites who apply for the “High Talent Pass” do so for the next generation. The Gao Caitong Talent Service Association last year interviewed 1,200 people working in Hong Kong with various passes. 75% of them planned to send their children to schools in Hong Kong. They believed that Hong Kong schools can provide better education than Chinese schools and pay more attention to English. study.

Ms. Chen, who is nearly 40 years old, came to Hong Kong to work as a brand planner. She plans to bring her 6-year-old son from Foshan, Guangdong, to Hong Kong to study. “His current class has more than 50 students, but the average class in Hong Kong only has about 20 students.”

According to Hong Kong government data, about 36,000 children of High Talent Pass holders have obtained family passes, allowing them to live in Hong Kong.

On the other hand, the political situation in Hong Kong has continued to be turbulent in recent years, and Hong Kong people have left their hometowns one after another. It is expected that the passage of Article 23 legislation will trigger a new wave of immigration.

This Saturday and Sunday (23rd and 24th) the fifth “International Immigration and Real Estate Expo” will be held. According to the interview notice issued by the public relations officer, since the passage of Article 23 of the legislation, “the number of visitors to the registration immigration exhibition has skyrocketed immediately.”

The interview notice mentioned in the text that the Hong Kong government has recently intended to strengthen patriotic education. In addition, the UK and Australia, the top choices for Hong Kong immigrants, have recently tightened their immigration policies, which has become the last catalyst for Hong Kong immigrants.

The notice also quoted many immigration exhibitors saying that since the budget was reduced, there has been a clear upward trend in inquiries about immigration applications, and many Hong Kong people have sold their properties to immigrate.

The latest statistics show that more than 25,000 people have registered in advance.

The organizer has announced that it will announce the results of the questionnaire survey of pre-registered visitors tomorrow (22nd), including when they plan to immigrate and leave Hong Kong, and explore the relationship between different recent social issues and Hong Kong people’s immigration attitudes.

**Former major shareholder of Sing Pao was exposed to have acquired Hong Kong identity under a pseudonym**

Tan Hui, the former major shareholder of Hong Kong’s established newspaper “Sing Pao”, was arrested in October last year on suspicion of using a false identity to apply for a U.S. green card. According to the case, as early as 2008, he had been arranged by the Chinese side to obtain Hong Kong resident status under the pseudonym “Li Mulin”, which allowed him to have two identities in Hong Kong.

Free Asia quoted the Associated Press as reporting that Adam, a Democratic candidate running for mayor of New York City, was investigated by the FBI for accepting illegal foreign political donations, which later revealed that Qin Hui submitted a false campaign declaration.

Qin Hui pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting to donating to the political campaigns of New York Mayor Adams and others in the names of others and lying to election watchdogs.

According to the case, in 2008, Qin Hui was provided with relevant identity documents using the pseudonym “Li Mulin” by a Chinese official, which allowed him to have two legal identities in Hong Kong, “Li Mulin” and “Qin Hui”. From 2018 to 2019, Qin Hui obtained the Hong Kong ID card and SAR passport as “Li Mulin”.

Qin Hui also admitted to making false statements when applying for legal permanent residence in the United States in 2019, but claimed that he had never used a pseudonym. According to the plea agreement, he promised to give up his right to reside in the United States after serving his sentence and be deported in exchange for prosecutors asking the court to impose a sentence of no more than six months.

The 55-year-old Qin Hui has a mysterious background. He was born into an ordinary family in Beijing. While studying in Chongqing, he met Lin Jing, the niece of his first wife, Lin Jiamei, the wife of former Chinese Communist Party Chairman Li Xiannian.

In 1999, Qin Hui invested in the luxury nightclub “Heaven and Earth”, a gold-selling den for dignitaries in Beijing; in 2001, he established “Xingmei Media” and later “Xingmei International”, which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange through “backdoor” and was once ranked among the top Forbes China Rich List.

In 2003, Tan Hui acquired Hong Kong’s oldest newspaper “Sing Pao” from “Oriental Charm”.

In 2015, “Xingmei Holdings” fell into financial difficulties. Since then, although Emperor Group and TVB have injected capital into it, “Xingmei Holdings” was eventually suspended from trading in September 2018 and delisted by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in May 2020.

Editor in charge: Lin Li