Hong Kong may lack natural resources such as gold and oil, but its international standing remains valuable to mainland China, tycoon Michael Kadoorie has said, while also encouraging younger residents to view the city’s situation as a glass half full rather than half empty.
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In a 20-minute TV interview aired on Saturday, the chairman of electricity supplier CLP Holdings and Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (HSH), which owns and runs the luxury Peninsula group of properties, weighed in on issues that the city, his family and younger Hongkongers face.
Kadoorie told Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang on the latter’s talk show, The Spirit of the Lion Rock Fred Ma, that Hong Kong was not without its problems but described the city as ever-changing, expressing confidence in its ability to bounce back stronger and higher.
Asked about his view on Hong Kong’s future, 83-year-old Kadoorie said: “We have no oil, we have no gold, so it’s the work that goes on here, that makes Hong Kong an international city, which is of value to the mainland.
“If we can do that, and maintain that, then we are doing the right thing. I believe we can do that.”
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Hong Kong-born Kadoorie is the third generation of an Iraqi-Jewish family that arrived in the city 140 years ago and thrived in the power supply and hotel businesses, as well as operating the iconic Peak Tram.