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Henry Tang (left) said he hopes to see a female candidate for chief executive Photo: Felix Wong

Henry Tang pushes for more efforts to bring visitors to take advantage of Hong Kong services

Friends of Hong Kong Association wants to promote high-value added trips such as medical and education tourism

A group spearheaded by failed chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen has proposed setting up a tourism bureau and developing Hong Kong’s bond market to boost economic growth.

But Tang said he was not preparing another bid for the top job next year.

“I will not consider running for the chief executive in 2017. It is not a casual decision; it’s a decision I have made because in the last election, I put my family through a lot of stress ... but I encourage everyone who is qualified and has this aspiration to do something for Hong Kong to come up and let him or her be counted,” said Tang.

He added that he hoped a first-ever woman candidate would join the race for the top job, but declined to specify any possible contender.

Commentators have flagged up former security minister Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as potential candidates.

Tang ran for chief executive in 2012, but was beaten by Leung Chun-ying. He spoke yesterday as he unveiled a policy report as the economic affairs committee chairman of the Beijing-loyalist Friends of Hong Kong Association.

The committee suggested that Hong Kong should develop medical and education tourism by attracting visitors from around the world to enjoy the high-quality medical services in the city, such as body checks.

But Tang insisted it would not encourage mainland mothers to give birth to their children in Hong Kong and increase pressure on the city’s hospitals.

“Tourists might want to do health checks and consult specialist doctors here, and they won’t be scrambling resources with us because these are private doctors’ services.

“We have the capacity and it wouldn’t create a long queue in the market,” Tang said.

To implement these policies, Tang endorsed Tourism Board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok’s suggestion that the government should set up its 14th policy bureau on tourism.

Tourism is currently under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau’s portfolio, but Tang believes that creating a Tourism Bureau would help to coordinate and implement policies and “capture development opportunities”.

On the financial front, Tang urged the Hong Kong government to lobby Beijing’s Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to establish its treasury centre in Hong Kong, as well as to issue debts and private equity in the bond market to finance infrastructures and other projects related to Beijing’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy, which cover dozens of countries in Asia and Africa.

As a standing committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Tang was asked if he would tell Beijing about Hong Kong people’s concern over the mysterious disappearance of bookseller Lee Po.

“I will reflect that if I have the chance, and I hope the matter can be resolved before next month,” he said, referring to the CPPCC and the national legislature’s annual session in the capital.

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