Northern Metropolis development | Backgrounds of 85 “long-term vision” companies examined: 70% mainland Chinese-backed, more than half “national team”
北都發展｜盤點 85 間具「長遠目光」企業背景 七成中資、逾半為「國家隊」
Eighty-five companies signed letters of intent with the government last Friday (29th), expressing their “support for and participation in the development of the Northern Metropolis”; 35 of them also signed “participation letters”. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, when asked yesterday (3rd) about the business sector’s view that “investment must make financial sense” and whether companies that did not invest after signing letters of intent would be penalised, did not respond directly. He stressed that the companies had expressed their support for and confidence in the Northern Metropolis, and said companies needed to take a long-term view and that “investment will definitely bring good returns”. What are the backgrounds of these companies with “confidence” and a “long-term view”? The Collective reviewed the available information and found that 58 of them—nearly 70%—had mainland Chinese backing. Forty-six were further part of the “national team”: nine were centrally administered state-owned enterprises, while 37 were controlled or held by state-owned enterprises. Of the 35 companies that signed “participation letters” for development projects, more than 70% had mainland Chinese backing. The reporters also found that one company that signed a “participation letter” was only registered on 29 October this year, signing the document just one month after its establishment. It is owned by Fok Chun-yue, the third son of Henry Fok, and an offshore company, and its business is unclear.
85 間企業上周五（29日）與政府簽署意向書，表態「支持及參與北部都會區發展」，其中 35 間再簽署「參與書」。行政長官李家超昨（3日）被問及商界「投資都要計掂條數」說法、簽署意向書後未有投資會否被懲罰時，沒正面回應，強調企業已表明對北都支持和信心，又指企業要有長遠眼光，「投資一定會有好回報」。 這些具「信心」和「長遠目光」的企業有何背景？《集誌社》翻查資料，當中 58 間、即近七成為有中資背景的公司，其中 46 間更是「國家隊」：9 間為央企、 37 間由國企控制或持有。至於 35 間簽署發展項目「參與書」公司中，逾七成具中資背景；記者又發現，有簽「參與書」公司是在今年 10 月 29 日才註冊，即成立一個月後便簽署，該公司由霍英東三子霍震宇和一間離岸公司持有，業務未明。