The people's politicians who stood up to be counted

James Tien

When Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun announced his resignation from the Executive Council on the evening of July 6, it provoked a panic in the Tung administration that was not in evidence even after the massive protest on July 1. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa held a late-night emergency meeting with his cabinet and by 2am issued a statement announcing the shelving of the Article 23 bill and promising further consultation.

To some, Mr Tien became an overnight hero, but to others, the 56-year-old legislator was just an opportunist deserting a sinking ship. Either way, he has emerged from the political crisis relatively unscathed by the problems plaguing Mr Tung and his cabinet post-July 1. This is the political act for which Mr Tien might be most remembered, but it follows a long and varied career stretching back almost 20 years.

Mr Tien was born in Shanghai on January 8, 1947, and moved with his family to Hong Kong in 1949. Here, he attended the elite Diocesan Boys' School, graduating in 1964. He went on to a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois in the United States and a master's in the same subject from San Jose State University in California.

Upon returning to Hong Kong in the 1970s, he joined his father's garment business, and in 1993 he became chairman of the family companies, Manhattan Holdings and Manhattan Garments International.

A successful businessman, Mr Tien has always had strong contacts within the business community, whose support helped him gain his commercial functional constituency seat in the Legislative Council in 2000. He remains a member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.