New | Billionaire Lee Shau-kee labels Hong Kong sovereignty debate ‘outrageous,’ sees no reason for city to go it alone

Property tycoon Lee Shau-kee called the idea of an independent Hong Kong “outrageous” and said there was no reason for the city to separate from the mainland.

“Hong Kong has already been returned to its rightful owner, and is governed by China,” said Lee, who was addressing the media after his company, Henderson Land Development, announced its annual earnings.

“There’s no reason for it, how will Hong Kong be independent [from the mainland]? It’s just outrageous.”

Lee’s comments echoed those of Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, who said last Thursday that the idea was far-fetched and that most people did not support an independent Hong Kong.

Last week, a senior legal official from Beijing had dismissed calls from some in Hong Kong to turn the city into an independent sovereign state in 2047, when the Sino-British Joint Declaration expires.

These remarks from political and financial heavyweights come at a time when the city is fraught with discussion about localism and the changing political landscape.