Son of HK’s richest man to stay on Shantou University council, his foundation says amid concerns

The son of Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-shing will remain on the governing body of the university he founded in mainland China, according to his foundation.

Its latest response came as Shantou University also issued a statement, claiming the Post’s reports published last Friday were false because Li’s son Richard Li Tzar-kai was still a member of the council.

The report did not suggest he was no longer a member of the council but quoted reliable sources close to the family as saying the university was planning to remove him.

The two statements released on Tuesday came after the Post reported last Friday that Li’s influence at the university he co-founded 38 years ago could be on the wane.

Li Ka Shing did not attend the university’s graduation ceremony for the first time in 18 years last Friday, while Richard Li had attended twice with his father since 2017, amid the dispute over whether the younger Li would remain on the governing council.

Sources familiar with the situation confirmed the university’s suggestion of the son’s departure had been discussed over the past few months and Li Ka-shing had told his close associates he was disheartened his family had been sidelined by the university.

The university’s statement released on Tuesday night did not confirm if there had been any such suggestion to remove the younger Li, other than to maintain he was still on the board.

The university also did not respond to the Post’s earlier inquiries before the release of its statement.

In an earlier response, a Li Ka Shing Foundation spokesman said they were not aware that Richard Li had been asked to leave the council.

But on Wednesday, the foundation said there were currently 24 members on the Shantou University Council, of whom four are representatives from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, namely Richard Li, Frieda Law, Amy Au and Katherine Lo.

“These four persons will remain in the council,” the foundation’s spokesman added.

A family friend said even though the younger Li would remain on the council, the family’s heart is not in it any more.

Of the 24 members, eight, including the chairman, are government or Communist Party officials, according to the council member list last updated on June 2018. The university president is Jiang Hong, a Communist Party secretary.

Tycoon’s influence threatened at university he helped found

The news came at a time when the Communist Party had tightened its ideological grip on university campuses, including Shantou University, in recent years and Li had faced accusations he was pulling investment from mainland China.

Students at the university told the Post on graduation day there had been fewer overseas cultural exchanges in the past few years.

A source said Li Ka-shing had also expressed worries over the future of a strategic partnership between the institution and a leading technical university in Israel.

Li donated more than HK$10 billion (US$1.28 billion) to the university, jointly funding it along with the Ministry of Education and the Guangdong provincial government.

More from South China Morning Post:

• Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing ‘disheartened’ his family have been sidelined by Shantou University and fears for future of Israeli strategic partnership
• Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s influence threatened at Shantou University, which he helped found
• Mainland Chinese university bars two Hong Kong human rights lawyers from teaching regular course there
• Controversial No 2 at Hong Kong University Paul Tam to step down – but concerns are raised over his potential replacement

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