Political situation
Written by: Liu Jinhua
2020-11-08 15:48
Last update date: 2020-11-08 15:48
Cha Maosheng, chairman of Hong Kong Industrial and independent non-executive director of Hong Kong International Theme Park Co., Ltd., passed away at the age of 77.
The Cha family relied on the textile and real estate industries to establish a business kingdom in Hong Kong. However, it turns out that members of the Cha family have been participating in local politics in different positions and even have a part in shaping Hong Kong's political system and policy decisions.
"Hong Kong 01" reviews the experience of the Cha family participating in local politics, and details how the two generations of the Cha family got involved in politics.
The history of the fortune of the Cha family in Hong Kong can be traced back to Cha Jimin, the father of Cha Maosheng.
In his early years, Cha Jimin studied dyeing and weaving at the Third Sun Yat-Sen University, the predecessor of Zhejiang University.
In the late 1940s, Cha Jimin went to Hong Kong to run the textile industry, which became the first step for the Cha family to establish a business kingdom.
In 1988, Cha Liangyong (Jin Yong), another drafting member of the Basic Law, and Cha Jimin jointly advocated the "Double Check Plan."
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Part of the "Double Check Plan" is included in the Basic Law
As an entrepreneur, Cha Jimin’s influence in Hong Kong politics is not limited to his financial resources. Cha even personally participates in local politics.
In 1984, the "Sino-British Joint Declaration" was signed, and the Basic Law Advisory and Drafting Committee was established one after another. All sectors of the community have various opinions and imaginations about the political system in the Basic Law.
Cha Jimin served as a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee, and a member of the Preparatory Working Committee and the Preparatory Committee of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the 1980s. This shows that he is highly valued by Beijing.
Cha Chi-min’s work, such as advising on the provisions of the Basic Law, directly affects whether Hong Kong can transition smoothly around 1997.
In 1988, Cha Jimin and Cha Liangyong (Jin Yong), another drafting member of the Basic Law, jointly advocated the "Double Check Plan". The plan provided opinions on the electoral arrangements for the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region and the Legislative Council after 1997, including suggestions. The Legislative Council has developed into three terms until half of the seats are directly elected, while the second and third terms of the Chief Executive are elected by an electoral committee composed of 800 people.
Although the plan ended without problems due to Cha Liangyong's withdrawal from the Basic Law Drafting Committee, the above two recommendations were eventually written into the Basic Law. It can be said that the blueprints drawn by Cha Jimin and Cha Liangyong have indeed shaped Hong Kong. Politics and electoral system.
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However, some of the recommendations in the "Double Check Plan", for example, during the third term of the Chief Executive, a vote of all voters is held to determine whether the fourth term Chief Executive is universally elected, and whether the Legislative Council after the fifth term will be fully directly elected. The proposal was not written into the Basic Law.
Although some of the contents of the "Double Check Plan" were favored by Beijing, the public thought that this plan was too conservative.
The then drafting committee member Martin Lee once said that he was disappointed by the conservativeness of the "Double Check Plan". Some students even went to the "Ming Pao" newspaper run by Cha Liangyong and burned newspapers to protest the "Double Check Plan."
Although the "double-check plan" has faced opposition from the day of the proposal, it does not hinder the system design of the Legislative Council and Chief Executive election mentioned in the "double-check plan", which lasted for 15 years until the 2012 policy. Only when the reform plan was passed did the election method of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive be changed.
Cha Shi Meilun (pictured right) is currently the chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and a non-official member of the Executive Council.
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Cha's second generation turned low-key daughter-in-law but she is a member of the guild
Cha Jimin's political participation has contributed to shaping some of the provisions of the Basic Law, but his two sons, Cha Maosheng and Cha Maocheng, are less involved in politics.
Although Cha Jimin's second son, Cha Maocheng, is a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, compared with his wife Cha Shi Meilun, Cha Maocheng is much lower-key in the local political arena.
Cha Smi-lun, currently chairman of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is also a non-official member of the Executive Council. He is a part of the government and is at the core of local political power.
Although the two successors of the Cha family are quite low-key in the local political arena, the identity of Cha Smi-lun’s guild members is sufficient to reflect the influence of the Cha family in the local political arena.
Discovery Bay, covering an area of about 649 hectares, has a population of about 20,000. It is the longest construction period and the most extensive private housing estate in Hong Kong. It is still under construction and expansion. The housing estate has a beautiful environment and many foreigners. Characterized by residence.
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Discovery Bay Chengcha's Business Kingdom Logo
In addition to playing a pivotal role in local politics, the commercial achievements of the Cha family cannot be ignored.
The establishment of China Dyeing Factory by Cha Jimin in 1949 was the first step to establish a business for the Cha family in Hong Kong.
The China Dyeing Factory Building in Tsuen Wan was the factory building where Cha Jimin was in the textile manufacturing industry. However, after Hong Kong moved northward in the 1980s, the China Dyeing Building was converted into an office building and a shopping mall, which also symbolized the business transformation of the Cha family To the real estate industry.
In the late 1970s, Cha Jimin established Hong Kong Industrial International Group, which was listed in Hong Kong in 1989.
The market value of Hong Kong Xingye may not be as good as that of major real estate developers such as New World and Sino, but Hong Kong Xingye’s most famous real estate project, Discovery Bay, can be said to be omniscient.
Discovery Bay, covering an area of about 649 hectares, has a population of about 20,000. It is the longest construction period and the most extensive private housing estate in Hong Kong. It is still under construction and expansion.
The area includes garden villas, bungalows, high-rise buildings, large shopping malls, hotels, and even beaches. It can be described as a country of its own.
However, the development of Discovery Bay is also controversial. "Hong Kong 01" quoted sources in 2016 as reporting that the then chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, was accused in a high-level government meeting and suggested that the plot ratio of Discovery Bay could be considered to be increased, which was mainly due to the golf course in the area. , Was accused of assisting Xingye to advance its development, but because the proposal did not meet the planning requirements, some high-level officials at the meeting indicated that it was not feasible, and it finally stopped.
After the death of Cha Jimin, Cha Maosheng served as the chairman of Hong Kong Industrial, and his younger brother Cha Maocheng served as the vice chairman and managing director.
It is reported that the chairman of Hong Kong Industrial, Cha Maosheng, recurrence of pancreatic cancer, is critically ill. Reply from the company: No comment
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