Hong Kong bankers have a reputation for being politically apathetic. But 46-year-old fund manager Edward Chin--along with a number of his peers--want to buck that mold.
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images众所周知,香港银行家对政治不感兴趣。但46岁的基金经理陈健民(Edward Chin)和一些同行希望打破这种固定模式。
In a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping published Wednesday, Mr. Chin along with 70 peers from the financial industry said they have concerns over Hong Kong's political, economic and social development. In particular, they said an influx of cash from China and political cronyism into the former British colony could undermine fairness in the territory's banking sector.
在周三发表的致中国国家主席习近平的一封公开信中,陈健民和金融业的70位同行表示,他们对香港的政治、经济和社会发展感到担忧。尤其值得一提的是,他们表示,来自内地的大量资金和政治上的任人唯亲可能有损香港银行业的公平性。
'Hong Kong's existing political system has become the stumbling block to the city's long-term social, political and economic growth, and is the root cause of social division and disharmony in Hong Kong,' the group said in the letter, which was published in the Financial Times and local Chinese-language paper Apple Daily.
这些银行家在信中表示,香港现时的政制已成为了香港长远发展的绊脚石,亦是分化社会、妨碍和谐的祸根。这封信刊登在《金融时报》(Financial Times)和香港当地中文报纸《苹果日报》(Apple Daily)上。
The criticism from the group comes ahead of a planned a civil disobedience protest movement in coming months dubbed 'Occupy Central.' The goal of the movement is to demand full universal suffrage for Hong Kong's leaders starting in 2017, free from intervention by Beijing. At the moment, Hong Kong's chief executive is currently chosen by a 1,200-member committee comprised largely of pro-Beijing and business camps.
这些银行家提出批评之际,恰逢香港一些人士计划未来几个月举行被称为“占领中环”的非暴力不合作抗议运动。“占领中环”运动的目的是要求香港从2017年起实现全面普选,选举不受北京的干预。目前,香港特区行政长官由一个1,200人组成的委员会选出,委员会成员多为亲北京人士和商业人士。
Mr. Chin's group urged Beijing to 'allow Hong Kong to continue to operate under a fair, just and open business environment.' It also stressed the need to 'prevent monopoly by persons or organizations of special privilege in various industries.'
银行家们敦促北京允许香港继续在一个公平、公正、开放的商业环境中运行。信中还强调有必要防止特权人士垄断各行各业。
A Hong Kong government spokesman did not immediately comment on the concerns Mr. Chin's group raised.
香港政府发言人没有立即就这些银行家表达的担忧置评。
Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997, and since then has continued to maintain its own legal and administrative autonomy. However, fears are rife that such a 'one country, two systems' arrangement is increasingly under pressure, given China's rising political and economic influence.
香港1997年回归中国,之后一直维持法律和行政自治。不过,鉴于中国大陆的政治和经济影响力不断扩大,外界担心这种“一个国家,两种制度”的安排将面临越来越大的压力。
In an interview, Mr. Chin said about one-fifth of his peers in the financial industry are Chinese Communist Party members. According to Mr. Chin, such party members enjoy advantages in raising funds and setting up private equity firms in Hong Kong. 'Yet the source of their funds as well as the way they channel the money to Hong Kong are rather fishy and questionable,' he said.
陈健民在接受采访时称,他的金融业同行中有大约五分之一是中国共产党党员。他说,党员在香港筹资和成立私募股权投资基金方面享受优待,但他们资金的来源以及他们向香港输送资金的渠道十分可疑。
'I don't want to see Hong Kong to become the base of money laundering for mainland China,' said Mr. Chin, who has worked in the financial services sector for over two decades and runs a firm that manages various funds and works with investment banks and securities firms.
陈健民说,不希望看到香港成为大陆洗钱的基地。他已经在金融服务业从业逾20年,经营着一家管理各类资金的公司,与投资银行和证券公司进行合作。
Joseph Cheng, a local political analyst, said many Chinese officials have been moving the money from the mainland to Hong Kong. 'This kind of money flow is not so healthy for the city,' he said, as such money might 'drive up asset prices and inflation and weigh on the livelihood of the general public.'
香港政治分析师郑宇硕(Joseph Cheng)表示,很多中国官员把资金从中国大陆转移到香港。他说,这种资金流动对香港而言不是很健康,因为此类资金将推高资产价格和通货膨胀率,拖累当地公众的生活水平。
Though he has been politically apathetic for decades, Mr. Chin said he was inspired to think about Hong Kong's future and take action after recently adopting a six-month-old boy.
尽管数十年来一直不问政治,陈健民表示,最近收养了一个6个月大的男孩后,他开始考虑香港的未来并采取行动。
'What will I leave to my next generation?' he said, adding that he was worried the Chinese reliance on guanxi in doing business might diminish Hong Kong's reputation for fair competition. 'I would have regrets if I didn't speak out now,' he said.
他说:“我能给下一代留下什么?”他担心中国商业活动中对关系的依赖可能削弱香港公平竞争的声誉。他说:“如果现在不说出来,我会后悔的。”