Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing has made his first in-person public appearance since controversy erupted over his conglomerate’s sale of its overseas ports to a consortium led by American investment firm BlackRock amid the US-China trade war, a deal that has drawn Beijing’s ire.
The founder of CK Hutchison Holdings visited Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital (HKSH) in Happy Valley on Tuesday to observe a demonstration of a cutting-edge, non-invasive device donated by the Li Ka Shing Foundation for treating liver cancer.
“[The hospital] providing this option is definitely great news,” Li said.
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The “Histotripsy 2.0” system was delivered to the hospital this month.
The 96-year-old tycoon, nicknamed “Superman” for his business acumen and influence, appeared energetic and joyful, grinning while shaking hands with Walton Li Wai-tat, CEO of HKSH Medical Group and medical superintendent of the hospital.
The foundation and Temasek Trust, an arm of Singapore’s state investment fund, earlier donated two of the machines, which can remove cancerous tumours with ultrasound waves, to the city state. The Hong Kong tycoon made a rare video appearance during the gifting ceremony earlier this month.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong and Gleneagles Hospital also received the machines, each worth US$3 million.
CK Hutchison dropped a bombshell in March when it announced the sale of its 43 overseas ports to a BlackRock-led consortium. The conglomerate is set to receive US$19 billion in cash under the deal.
The two ports the conglomerate operates at the Panama Canal have drawn intense scrutiny from both Beijing and Washington, with the strategic waterway becoming a geopolitical flashpoint in the US-China rivalry.
CK Hutchison’s shares closed at HK$43.4 (US$5.59) on Tuesday, down 15 per cent from HK$51.55 on March 6, two days after the sale was announced.
Li’s elder son and conglomerate chairman, Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, on Monday also made his first public appearance since controversy erupted over the ports deal, appearing at the funeral for late Henderson Land Development founder Lee Shau-kee.
Also attending were Wang Zhenmin of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), Yin Zonghua of the central government’s liaison office in the city and former chief executive Leung Chun-ying.
Liaison office director Zheng Yanxiong and Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu paid their respects the day before.
The websites of both the HKMAO and the liaison office have reposted 11 to 12 scathing articles or commentaries against the sale since March 14.
The latest, which appeared on Tuesday, warned the parties involved in the sale against sidestepping an antitrust probe amid a report that the two Panama ports could be separated into two deals.
Leung last month hit out at “merchants without a motherland”, without naming Li or his company. John Lee also criticised “coercion” in international trade.
The State Administration for Market Regulation issued a warning on Sunday over the same report, after saying earlier it would launch an antitrust probe into the deal.
China’s foreign ministry on Monday urged all parties in the controversial deal to “act prudently” and stay in touch with Beijing.
More from South China Morning Post:
- How Hutchison deal could make shipping line MSC world’s dominant port operator
- Twist in Hutchison ports deal as Italian shipping family’s role surfaces
- How can Beijing antitrust probe affect Panama ports sale if Hutchison delays signing?
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