‘One country, one system?’ Chinese artist Ai Weiwei takes to social media after HSBC rejects application
Bank insists it does not decline to open bank accounts because of individuals’ political views
In an Instagram post, the 59-year-old critic of the Chinese government said: “I’m in Hong Kong, trying to open an account at HSBC. My request was refused due to a ‘commercial decision’ from the headquarter (sic). This has not happened to me in Beijing. Maybe ‘one country, one system’ is better.”
The social media post appeared with a picture of the HSBC headquarters in Central.
In a Twitter reply to one social media user regarding the incident, Ai – a painter, sculptor, photographer and filmmaker known for art that confronts social and political issues – said he was trying to open a personal account.
A post shared by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Apr 17, 2017 at 9:23pm PDT
The Instagram post prompted varied reactions from the artist’s followers. One suggested it was “self-censorship”, while another said: “It’s capitalism. Bankers are at liberty to make [their] own decisions. It has nothing to do with the system.”