Five major business associations urged Hongkongers to not occupy Central in a joint press conference and statement. As representatives of the business sector they wanted to “express their concerns” about Occupy Central and to “urge citizens to understand and take into account the potential adverse impact on Hong Kong”.
As members of the business sector, they believed that Occupy Central would negatively affect safety, traffic, and local business. They add that the transportation gridlock—which they say could extend to New Territories and Kowloon— would jeopardize the wellbeing of vulnerable people, like elderly who need to be transported to day care or people who need emergency services, like ambulances or help from the fire department.
They also said that it would have a negative impact on Hong Kong’s reputation in the international community. The chairman of the Real Estate Developers of Hong Kong Executive Committee, Stewart Leung, said “Hong Kong’s hard-earned reputation of an investment destination of choice will be tarnished”. They added that “social unrest and political instability created by Occupy Central will deter foreign enterprises from investing in Hong Kong”.
Stanley Lau, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong industries, said that tourism would suffer as visitors are deterred from coming to Hong Kong.
Lau continues to say that consumer spending decreased from the last quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, and that Occupy Central would “likely have a significant negative impact” on consumer spending and retail earnings.
During the press conference, Pang compared Occupy Central with the recent protests in Bangkok, which decreased the number of tourists visiting Bangkok, according to SCMP.
The business associations who signed the joint statement are the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong industries, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong.
The statement was also supported by 65 industry chambers, with a total of 18,000 members, according to the Standard.
An organiser of Occupy Central, Dr Chan Kin Man, told the SCMP that these statements are “aiming to create fear”, adding that the Thai protestors were trying to overthrow a government, not simply asking for political reform like Occupy Central is.
David Chin, UBS’ head of corporate-client solutions for Asia, said last week that Occupy Central wouldn’t have a big impact on the city’s financial industries as it has deep foundations, according to Bloomberg.
The General Chamber of Commerce’s website urges visitors to sign the Alliance for Peace & Democracy’s petition against Occupy Central. Their website says: “We do not wish to interfere in the aspirations or debates on universal suffrage. However, we cannot and should not sit by when some people are threatening to disrupt our business operations.”
