Bauhinia Party
Bauhinia Party 紫荊黨 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Li Shan |
| Secretary | Wong Chau-chi |
| Founder | Li Shan, Wong Chau-chi, Chen Jianwen |
| Founded | 1 March 2020[1] |
| Headquarters | 31/F, Tower 2, Times Square, 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong |
| Membership (2020) | 13 |
| Ideology | Chinese nationalism Conservatism (HK) |
| Regional affiliation | Pro-Beijing camp |
| Colours | Red |
| Executive Council | 0 / 33 |
| Legislative Council | 0 / 70 |
| District Councils | 0 / 479 |
| NPC (HK deputies) | 0 / 36 |
| CPPCC (HK members) | 1 / 124 |
The Bauhinia Party is a pro-Beijing conservative political party in Hong Kong. Established in 2020 by a group of mainland Chinese executives working at the financial institutions in Hong Kong, the party was perceived as catering to the "Haigui" in Hong Kong, the mainland Chinese elites who re-located in Hong Kong after studying abroad.[1] Since its establishment was revealed by the media in December 2020, it was widely speculated as the underground operatives of the Chinese Communist Party and the replacement of the traditional local pro-Beijing forces.[2]
Background
Named after the city’s official flower bauhinia × blakeana, the Bauhinia Party was established in March 2020[1] and filed to the Hong Kong Companies Registry in May[3] by Li Shan, Wong Chau-chi and Chen Jianwen, all of whom were the mainland Chinese executives who worked at the top financial institutions in Hong Kong. Born in Sichuan, educated in the United States and had worked in Hong Kong for some 20 years, Li was a Hong Kong delegate to the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a director of Credit Suisse's board.[4] Wong was also born on the mainland and was educated at the Harvard University before he worked at Goldman Sachs, Citibank and BNP Paribas and was then the chairman and chief executive of CMMB Vision and a director of private equity fund Chi Capital.[4] Chen and Li were also the president and consultant respectively at the Chinese Academy of Governance Industrial and Commercial Professionals Alumni Association (CAGA), an alumni association in Hong Kong for the Chinese Communist Party School.[1]
The party was not known to the public until an exclusive interview by the South China Morning Post in December 2020. The predominance of the mainland "Haigui" drew a lot of speculation from the media. Due to the "obvious links" to the Chinese Communist Party, the party was perceived to be closely tied to the Beijing authorities and worked as the underground Communist Party operatives, and to sideline or replace the existing local pro-Beijing parties who had failed to support the SAR administration.[2][5] The local pro-Beijing parties dismissed any speculation of the Bauhinia becoming the threat to them. James Tien of the pro-business Liberal Party believed that Beijing did not want to tilt the balance of power by replacing the incumbents with a group of lesser-known, mainland-born people. Regina Ip of the New People's Party said the new party must prove itself with electoral success as it was not easy to win seats.[4]
Platform
According to the document in the Companies Registry, the party seeks to "promote a democratic political system best suited to Hong Kong based on the rule of law and civil liberty with the realisation of universal suffrage as guaranteed by the Basic Law, so as to safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability."[4] Some of the platforms include:
- Seeking for "another fifty years – unchanged – and have a hundred years of One Country, Two Systems";[1]
- Loving China and Hong Kong, safeguarding the rule of law and opposing discrimination against communities;[1]
- Turning the Legislative Council into a bicameral legislature of which the members of the lower house would be directly elected, while members of the upper house would be appointed by the Chief Executive through a political consultative committee;[4] and
- Establishing a public-private partnership to finance the Lantau Tomorrow Vision plan, a 1,700-hectare project to build a metropolis on man-made islands off Lantau.[4]
The party aims at recruiting more than 250,000 members from all across the sectors. It will also set up a think tank and public opinion survey institution and plans to offer candidates for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Cheng, Selina (10 December 2020). "Hong Kong's new pro-establishment political party wants '100 years of One Country, Two Systems'". Hong Kong Free Press.
- ^ a b Carrico, Kevin (11 December 2020). "The new Bauhinia Party is the next stage of colonization". Apple Daily.
- ^ "紫荊黨有限公司 (CR NO. 2941674)". Company Directory.
- ^ a b c d e f Siu, Phila; Wong, Natalie (6 December 2020). "Pro-mainland Chinese financiers based in Hong Kong launch new Bauhinia Party aimed at reforming Legco, restraining 'extremist forces'". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "More on the Bauhinia Party". Big Lychee, Various Sectors. 18 December 2020.
- ^ Siu, Phila; Wong, Natalie (17 December 2020). "Hong Kong political newbie Bauhinia Party dismisses fears over mainland China roots, says mission is to mend rifts". South China Morning Post.
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