[Global Times reporter Sun Wei Chen Qingqing] "As the president of a financial institution, I have no power to judge the motives and legitimacy of the orders of law enforcement agencies, nor the power to choose which laws to comply with"-HSBC Group Chief Executive Qi Yaonian in the British Parliament on the 26th A bunch of congressmen expressed their anger.
He said that as a bank operating locally in Hong Kong, HSBC has no other choice but to comply with the Hong Kong National Security Law.
On the afternoon of the 26th local time, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament held a video conference and HSBC executives accepted questions.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), when asked about HSBC’s freezing of the bank accounts of several Hong Kong chaos, Qi Yaonian said that HSBC’s move was only in accordance with the requirements of the Hong Kong police and had no political motives, just like HSBC in It's the same in any market including the UK.
HSBC has only communicated with the Hong Kong police on this matter, and has not contacted any official department in mainland China.
He emphasized that if HSBC refuses to cooperate with the Hong Kong police, it may be suspected of criminal offences, which is very detrimental to maintaining the safety of company operations and customer funds.
"The Guardian" said that during the 90-minute exchange, many British MPs were angry.
A member asked: “Given the current (Hong Kong) market environment is so bad and unpleasant, has HSBC considered withdrawing from the Hong Kong market or taking relevant actions to deal with this situation?” Qi Yaonian said, “The answer is no. ".
He said that the company was established in Hong Kong, headquartered in the United Kingdom, and has a history of 155 years in Hong Kong, and is "100% committed" to staying in the Hong Kong market. Withdrawing from Hong Kong "will only hurt customers."
According to reports, Qi Yaonian also denied rumors that HSBC might "split its Asian and Western businesses."
At the hearing, some members raised the issue of HSBC Group CEO Wang Dongsheng’s signature in support of Hong Kong’s National Security Law, and questioned whether HSBC insisted on “not participating in politics” on the one hand and allowed executives to “sign support” on the other. contradiction.
Qi Yaonian said that in addition to Wang Dongsheng, the signature also won the support of 2.9 million Hong Kong people.
This is just to find a solution to Hong Kong’s security problems.
Many HSBC executives, including him, have personally experienced all kinds of violence during the riots in Hong Kong. "We have to ask 30,000 people to work from home because they are afraid of taking public transportation and buildings being bombed."
Qi Yaonian said that HSBC believes that supporting Hong Kong's national security law will help Hong Kong restore social order and return to the track of development.
The BBC said that when talking about the political relations of its Hong Kong employees, Qi Yaonian said that he would not "ask all employees in China'Are you a member of the Chinese Communist Party"'.
According to the report, a number of British lawmakers criticized HSBC on the 26th, saying that HSBC adopted an "inaudible and invisible" attitude towards Hong Kong's problems and that its practice was "double standards and hypocrisy in order to please the Beijing authorities."
Other lawmakers accused HSBC of "facilitating and abetting one of the world's largest repressive activities."
Qi Yaonian said that he would not comment on political issues because he is a banker, not a politician.
The BBC said that HSBC has become a topic of constant discussion in the wave of demonstrations in Hong Kong and the Sino-US struggle in recent years, and both sides are not pleased.
Bloomberg commented that 90% of HSBC’s profits in the first nine months of 2020 will come from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong markets. It is not surprising that HSBC has compromised with Beijing. “It does need to abide by the laws of Hong Kong. There is no difference in observing the laws of the United Kingdom."
The Hong Kong Security Bureau issued a statement on the 27th, severely reprimanding "foreign politicians for exerting pressure on financial institutions to perform their duties."
The statement stated that, in order to crack down on illegal activities, the Hong Kong police conducted investigations in accordance with the law, collecting evidence and requesting data from relevant agencies as needed.
Some people have made biased remarks to mislead the public. Some foreign politicians have put pressure on institutions that perform their duties in accordance with the law. The Security Bureau severely condemns these confusing remarks and political operations.
A spokesperson for the Security Bureau emphasized that local financial institutions abide by Hong Kong laws, fulfill their responsibilities, and deal with funds suspected of money laundering in accordance with the law. Foreign politicians have tried to put pressure on them, and their actions ignore the rule of law and are purely politically motivated.
The laws of Hong Kong meet the relevant requirements.
The spokesman emphasized that Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law, and law enforcement agencies have the responsibility to take action against all illegal activities. It is natural for financial institutions to perform legal responsibilities to assist police investigations, and the SAR government affirms and supports it.