Former Hong Kong leaders draft in city’s wealthiest tycoons, university presidents and other top public figures for coalition bid to revive city

Hong Kong Coalition membership includes some of city’s biggest names such as business magnate Li Ka-shing and Chinese University’s Rocky Tuan

Alliance led by C Y Leung and Tung Chee-hwa formed to revive city economy and challenge opposition camp’s ‘if we burn, you burn with us’ mentality

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Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying launched Hong Kong Coalition at its first press conference on Tuesday. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 8:26pm, 5 May 2020Updated: 11:17pm, 5 May 2020

A new alliance led by former Hong Kong leaders has enlisted the city’s five wealthiest men, all but one of its university presidents and an ex-police chief for the group’s bid to revive the metropolis.

Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying revealed a heavyweight line-up of tycoons, ex-officials and other leading public figures at Tuesday’s launch of the 1,500-member Hong Kong Coalition, which aims to rescue the coronavirus-hit economy and resolve the political crisis over the anti-government protests triggered last summer by the now-withdrawn extradition bill.

Among the big names signed up are Hong Kong’s richest man, Henderson Land Development’s founder Lee Shau-kee; Chinese University president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi; former secretary for justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung and one of the world’s leading epidemiologists, Gabriel Leung.

The convenors Tung and Leung – who are now vice-chairmen of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the nation’s top advisory body – said the alliance would help the Hong Kong government contain the Covid-19 epidemic, salvage the economy and end the political turmoil that had “shattered” Hong Kong since the extradition bill saga erupted last June.

But they denied that pushing for controversial national security legislation was on their agenda, despite Beijing’s repeated calls for the city to plug the legal loophole.

Launching the coalition alongside 12 pro-Beijing figures introduced as its core members, Tung said part of the group’s remit would be to protect Hong Kong from protest chaos.

“The opposition has resorted to all means to seek mutual destruction, such as attacking the police with petrol bombs, and making remote bombs,” he said.