CK Hutchison sells ports | Group issues late-night statement: Deal absolutely cannot be conducted unlawfully or non-compliantly
長和賣港口｜集團深夜發聲明：交易絕不可能不合法、不合規進行
The sale of CK Hutchison Holdings’ ports has caused widespread controversy. At the beginning of the month, Ta Kung Pao published commentaries on two consecutive days attacking the group, warning that if CK Hutchison remained “obstinate” it would “end up battered and bruised” and that if it did not turn back, it would “certainly regret it too late”. The commentaries twice mentioned that, in addition to the Anti-Monopoly Law, national security laws could be used if necessary. Yesterday (12th), Ta Kung Pao published an interview with Hong Kong University Faculty of Law deputy dean Yun (EC Legal) Zhao, who was quoted as saying that the SAR Government could invoke the National Security Law to examine whether the transaction “cooperates with foreign forces to endanger national security”. The group issued a statement late last night, saying that “the transaction absolutely cannot be conducted under any circumstances that are illegal or non-compliant”.
長和集團出售旗下港口引起軒然大波，《大公報》月初一連兩日發表時評炮轟，警告長和「執迷不悟將碰得頭破血流」、「再不回頭，一定後悔莫及」，兩度提及除了《反壟斷法》，必要時可用國安法律。《大公報》昨（12日）再刊登香港大學法律學院副長院趙雲訪問，引述其指特區政府可援引《國安法》，以審查交易是否「配合外國勢力危害國家安全」。 集團昨深夜發聲明，指「交易絕不可能在任何不合法或不合規的情況下進行」。