Last month, Peter Lee Ka-kit, eldest son of Hong Kong tycoon Lee Shau-kee or 'Uncle Four', made headlines, but this time not on the business pages. The 47-year-old vice-chairman of Henderson Development became a father to three sons.
What seemed to be an ordinary piece of gossip among the rich and powerful soon turned into a controversial issue when it emerged that Lee, who is still single, had used the services of a surrogacy agency overseas, which is illegal in Hong Kong.
According to several Chinese-language newspapers, the triplets were born in the United States in July and named Chi-shun, Chi-yan and Chi-yung. The overjoyed grandfather and chairman of Henderson Land Development, Lee Shau-kee, was said to be giving away HK$33 million to his staff and charity in celebration.
The chairman has no grandsons but two granddaughters from his younger son, Martin Lee Ka-shing, and daughter-in-law, actress Cathy Tsui Chi-kei.
The news stirred up heated discussion on the rights and wrongs of Lee's actions. Some questioned whether Lee acted against the law by paying for surrogacy.
According to Hong Kong's Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance, which came into effect in August 2007, commercial surrogacy is prohibited, meaning no person can make or receive any payment for surrogacy arrangements. The regulation applies to dealings both inside and outside Hong Kong.
Legislative Council member Cyd Ho Sau-lan, who was involved in the early consultation on the ordinance, said even if Lee's act were illegal, it would be difficult to gather evidence from an overseas agency in a country which considers such cases legal.