Chamber does not favour any political party
When Chan Wing-kee and Tony Fung Wing-cheung decided to step down from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce's general committee after 16 years of sterling service to leave room for other aspiring candidates, they did not envisage that their moves would trigger one of the most colourful contested elections for general committee seats in recent years.
In the post-election coverage, the media expressed keen interest on two issues:
Whether the election would herald a new era of political alignment of the chamber with the Liberal Party; and
Whether the election would reflect a shift in the chamber's emphasis, that is, championing big business interests more vigorously than the interests of our small and medium-sized enterprise members.
There were allegations that the election had reflected an attempt by the Liberal Party to assert political influence on the chamber. The chamber has always championed the interests of business, not of any particular political party. In selecting the main policy issues and positions on which we intend to campaign in any particular year, only one criterion is taken into account - are these issues of burning concern to the Hong Kong business community? We maintain strict political neutrality and are committed to explaining our case vigorously to government departments and all legislators. We are as keen to win support among Democrats or members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, for example, as we are among Liberals or independents representing functional constituencies.
On the second issue, the strength of the chamber lies in three elements:
