He was not in Hong Kong on that historic night nor was he a priest at the time, instead in his ninth year working for a mainland property developer in Shanghai.

Koon claimed his grandfather was a prominent banker in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, and, because of his family’s background, his uncles were purged during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. During that turbulent period, millions of intellectuals and capitalists were persecuted, tortured or even killed.

“I’m more qualified than many others to talk about suffering and the loss of family property,” he said. “But why were victimised families like mine less vigorous in opposition?”

“As a religious leader, we don’t want to see turmoil in our country ... We ought to do our utmost in negotiating with authorities to achieve fairness, justice and harmony.”

Koon added he was impressed by China’s economic progress since 1979, especially when he worked in property for 12 years from 1988.

He was ordained a priest in 2005. Two years later, he became the church’s provincial secretary general, overseeing the denomination’s development projects and social services.

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In 2014, Koon became an adviser for Our Hong Kong Foundation, a think tank founded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.

He clarified to the Post that all he wanted to say was that it was important for Hong Kong and Beijing to communicate with and trust each other.

“I am a Hongkonger 100 per cent, and I hope to obtain the biggest benefit for this place, but I think we need to be more rational to achieve that goal.”