Monopoly Capital Represented by Li Ka- shing is a Root Cause of Hong Kong Problem

As for the issues in Hong Kong, aside from the central government delegating too much authority, the unchecked exploitation of profits by monopolistic capital is another major factor. Prior to Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, Hong Kong’s monopolistic capital had secured substantial authority to govern Hong Kong from the central government. Since 1998, Hong Kong has consistently ranked first in the world in terms of the “Capital Freedom Index”—that is, it is the region with the fewest constraints on capital. In other words, it is the region where capital can extract profits with virtually no limits. This has made Hong Kong one of the regions with the highest Gini coefficients globally—that is, one of the regions with the widest wealth gap.
Li Ka-shing’s “Melon on the Yellow Terrace” advertisement was intended to extricate himself from this political storm and shirk political responsibility. However, this advertisement is likely to produce unintended consequences and have serious long-term effects. Because this attempt to evade political responsibility will inevitably lead the central government to withdraw its political protection of the Li family’s monopoly capital. The Li Ka-shing family’s industrial capital will inevitably withdraw gradually from mainland China. This will inevitably drive up the operational costs of the Li family’s capital in Hong Kong. The Li family will inevitably have to incur substantial additional costs to align itself with other political powers. In this process, the Li family’s influence will inevitably wane. Once Li Ka-shing loses control of his capital, his conglomerate will inevitably fragment, disintegrate, go bankrupt, and even vanish rapidly.

Monopoly capital represented by Li Ka-shing is one of the root causes of Hong Kong’s problems
The advertisement titled “The Melon on Huangtai” led to the Li Ka-shing family’s capital losing its political protection
The operating costs of the Li Ka-shing family’s businesses will increase
The Li Ka-shing family’s capital will incur additional costs to align itself with political power
The Li family’s heirs will find it difficult to ensure the safety of the family’s capital