American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong urges ‘clear leadership’, investigation after more extradition bill clashes

An influential Hong Kong business group has urged the city’s leader to immediately deal with the root causes of recent violence and political deadlock, which its members say have taken a toll on business confidence and its image as a safe place.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) said the issues arising from the extradition bill protests hurt its members’ revenue instantly, and prompted longer-term doubts over cancelled events, shelved investments and even a deepening perception within their companies and overseas customers that Hong Kong had become a riskier place to do business, according to a recent survey.

The poll, to which 12 per cent of AmCham’s 1,400 members responded between July 23 and 25, found they wanted the government to convene a globally credible independent inquiry into all aspects of recent unrest over the now-suspended legislation. They also called for Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to drop the bill completely, to ease public fears.

The bill – which would allow the transfer of criminal suspects to other jurisdictions, including mainland China – has sparked weeks of street protests, which have since expanded to denounce wider grievances with the government and the police’s handling of the crisis.

“AmCham urges the government to stem any further damage and show clear leadership in meeting the expectations of Hong Kong people and in restoring the city’s international reputation for effective governance under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework,” AmCham president Tara Joseph said in a statement.

“A clear majority of our membership surveyed over the past week said the government needs to address the underlying causes of the protests and not simply to paper over the cracks of social instability with a short-term law-and-order fix.”