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Hong Kong’s economic development and its global ties have emerged as the common concerns in the first Legislative Council election forum organised by the biggest local political party. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) on Monday hosted all 50 candidates running for 40 Legco seats in the Election Committee constituency. They presented their political platforms to the party’s more than 100 committee members ahead of next month’s poll. The forum was held hours before the government announced that all 161 election hopefuls had been cleared to compete for the legislature’s 90 seats on December 7. Aside from those running in the Election Committee constituency, 51 candidates will vie for the 20 directly elected seats in the geographical constituencies, while 60 will contest the 30 seats in the trade-based functional constituencies. Under Beijing’s overhauled “patriots-only” electoral system, contestants in the Election Committee constituency need to woo more than 1,400 members for their votes. The two-hour forum, which was live-streamed on social media, did not involve any debates and the candidates did not take questions from the media. Nearly all 50 Election Committee candidates included the city’s economic development in their political platforms, with the major focus on innovation and technology. Johnny Ng Kit-chong, an incumbent lawmaker, listed artificial intelligence, blockchain and quantum computing as three new power engines for the city’s economic development in his platform. “It is hard to introduce all the items in such a short time,” he said, referring to the 1½-minute cap on speeches. “But I will realise them if you grant me the votes to work them out in the coming four years.” Perry Yiu Pak-leung, the incumbent tourism-sector lawmaker who is now standing in the Election Committee constituency, said he hoped to build cross-departmental cooperation between government agencies and cross-sector collaboration to develop the economy. “Tourism is a strategic sector that helps to boost the development of other industries and promote Hong Kong. If elected, I would like to strengthen the sector’s collaboration with as many industries as possible,” he added. Rock Chen Chung-nin, a serving lawmaker, proposed optimising the city’s listing and financing systems to attract foreign companies as a way to expand Hong Kong’s global ties. “I will also make the most of the government’s task force dedicated to helping mainland businesses expand overseas, bringing more companies to establish their overseas presence through Hong Kong’s networks,” he said. Albert Chuang Ka-pun, chairman of conglomerate Chuang’s Group, told the forum that Hong Kong’s economy needed diversity and transformation and that he had witnessed the city’s great potential when investing in start-ups. “If elected, I hope to promote institutional innovation to support Hong Kong start-ups’ development and business transformation,” he said. “At the same time, I will make good use of my business resources and networks to attract more major events and brands to establish a presence in Hong Kong.” Andrew Kwok Chi-wah, president of the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association, pledged to fully support upgrading and transformation for SMEs and help introduce more local firms to enter the Greater Bay Area market. At least five candidates mentioned youth development, including Lau Ka-keung, a local deputy to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature, and accountant Andrew Fan Chun-wah, the son of former Legco president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai. The government will also organise 39 election forums, with the first two for the New Territories South West and the New Territories North East constituencies to be held on Tuesday. Click here for a list of candidates.
