Preceded by Office established Role Businessman | Name Charles Ho Nationality Hong Kong Chinese Children Ho Kent Ching Tak | |
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Born 23 June 1949 (age 75) Hong Kong ( 1949-06-23 ) Similar People Pansy Ho, Cheng Yu‑tung, Stanley Ho | ||
Charles ho tsu kwok leung chun ying
Charles Ho Tsu-kwok, (Chinese: 何柱國, born 23 June 1949) is a Hong Kong pro-Beijing businessman who is the chairman of the Sing Tao News Corporation Limited and an independent non-executive director of Shun Tak Holdings. As a member of the pro-Beijing camp, Ho maintained good relations with the Chinese government, and is appointed as a National Committee Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference representing Fujian, serving in that post since 1998. Ho is awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system by Chief Executive CY Leung on July 1 2014, although the decision to award Ho with such an award sparked discontent and astonishment in the Hong Kong media.
Contents
- Charles ho tsu kwok leung chun ying
- Early Life
- Awards
- Questioning CY Leungs ability to rule
- Awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal
- Objections to Civil Nomination
- References
Early Life
Ho was born in Hong Kong with family roots in Fujian. He was the grandson of Ho Ying Chie (1911-2000), the founder and owner of the Hong Kong Tobacco Cooperation Limited and thus is a cousin of David Ho, a Vancouver based entrepreneur. Ho founded the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited in 2001.
Awards
Questioning CY Leung's ability to rule
On 9 December 2011, Ho, an outspoken supporter of Chief Executive Election candidate Henry Tang, publicly challenged Tang's opponent CY Leung in a press conference, questioning his ability to handle the top job in Hong Kong. Ho noted that one of Leung's companies, DTZ Holdings, has the values of its shares decreased to zero and declared bankruptcy, and thus fearing that "Hong Kong's economy would become zero because of Leung's wrong decisions.
However, in an interview on 30 August 2014, Ho withdrew his accusation towards CY Leung by praising Leung's efforts in improving people's livelihood, saying that Leung's decisions "hasn't made Hong Kong's economy become zero yet".
Awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal
On July 1 2014, Ho was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system by Chief Executive CY Leung for his "distinguished service to the community, particularly his contribution to the media industry." The decision to award Ho the highest honor sparked dismay among some Hong Kong media. Ho is originally considered a stauch supporter Henry Tang, CY Leung's major opponent in the 2012 Chief Executive Election. However, he switched sides and praised Leung as a competent leader immediately after he was elected, and has since then been a staunch supporter of CY Leung's government. Some media expressed opinions that Ho does not deserve the award, as they believe only "true heroes" should be honored instead of a "Yes man" like Ho.
Objections to "Civil Nomination"
In an interview on 30 August 2014, Ho commented on the Civil nomination proposal demanded by members of the pro-democracy camp for the 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election, saying that there is no such thing as a "civil nomination" in any political system worldwide, and that he feared that the adoption of a "civil nomination" for Chief Executive may ultimately result in a member of the triad society (Chinese: 黑社會) nominated for the post.