Property tycoons Li Ka-shing and Peter Woo decline invitations to attend National Day celebrations in Beijing
- Li recently angered Beijing when he appealed for Hong Kong government to ‘provide a way out’ for protesters, which was seen as condoning crime
Property tycoons Li Ka-shing and Peter Woo Kwong-ching were invited to join a delegation to Beijing for the National Day celebrations but are not going because of private reasons, sources have told the Post.
The invitations had come before recent controversies over both men’s stances on the anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
The delegation, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, departed for a three-day trip to the capital on Monday morning to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
A source familiar with the arrangement said Li, senior adviser of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, was invited by the Hong Kong government a few months ago. The 91-year-old billionaire decided not to go north, citing his age.
However, his elder son Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, chairman of both companies, was in Beijing attending the celebrations, according to CK Asset Holdings.
A spokesman for Woo’s office told the Post on Tuesday the former Wharf Holding’s chairman was not fit to fly because he had suffered from vertigo in the past few days.