Adrian Ho | |
---|---|
何敬康 | |
![]() Ho in 2023 | |
Member of the Legislative Council | |
Assumed office 19 December 2022 | |
Preceded by | Alice Mak |
Constituency | Election Committee |
Personal details | |
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Hong Kong |
Political party | New People's Party |
Parent | Ho Hao Veng (father)[1] |
Relatives | Ho Yin (grandfather) Edmund Ho Hau Wah (uncle) Justin Ho King Man (cousin) |
Alma mater | Wharton School of Business |
Adrian Pedro Ho King-hong[2] (Chinese: 何敬康; born 1977) is a Hong Kong politician and businessman. In 2022, he was elected to the Legislative Council as an election committee constituency member.
Early life and education
Ho was born into a politically well-connected family from Macau. His paternal uncle is former Chief Executive of Macau Edmund Ho. After attending La Salle Primary School in Hong Kong, Ho continued his education in the UK at Repton. He graduated from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.[1]
Politics
In 2019, Ho founded a pro-establishment Facebook group “SaveHK” which became the largest such group with 200,000 members at one point. The group was suspended by Meta in late 2022.[3] After four incumbent members of the LegCo resigned in June 2022 to join the Lee administration, by-elections were held on 18 December to fill in the remaining seats. Ho won a seat as member of the New People's Party in the election committee constituency with 833 votes.[4]
In January 2022, Ho argued that "It is an undemocratic act in and of itself, to attempt to measure or quantify democracy" and said that "The Chinese approach to democracy is pragmatic, and Hong Kong must shake off its belief in the 'fantasy of American-style democracy'."[5]
In October 2022, Ho said that Xi Jinping made an "ingenious speech" and said that the city had "successfully navigated through such political turmoil, with the enactment of the National Security Law and the reform of the electoral system - transitioning from chaos to governance and ushering in a new era of prosperity."[6]
In December 2022, Ho said that Hong Kong's most deep-rooted problem was Hongkongers' lack of national identity.[7]
In December 2022, the NPCSC ruled that the Hong Kong government could block foreign lawyers from defending national security cases, after Jimmy Lai attempted to hire Tim Owen.[8] In January 2023, Ho said that "interpreting the law to clarify the original intent and purpose of ensuring a sound and effective legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security is entirely justified, necessary, and timely."[9]
In May 2023, after the government reduced the amount of democratically elected seats in the District Councils, Ho said the changes "will undoubtedly be advantageous to Hong Kong residents."[10]
In March 2024, Ho said that "Press freedom will be bolstered, not diminished, by Article 23."[11]
Endorsements
Ho has publicly endorsed the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 Hong Kong Gay Games.[12]
References
- ^ a b Cheng, Selina (2021-02-15). "Exclusive: Meet the founder of Hong Kong's largest pro-gov't Facebook group SaveHK". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ "HO King Hong, Adrian Pedro何敬康(AGP055) - 中央編號,證監會紀律處分記錄 - HKSecWiki證券百科". hk.hksecwiki.com. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ Grundy, Tom. "Top pro-Beijing Facebook group 'Save HK' suspended from Facebook - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP". hongkongfp.com. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ "2 tech experts, Chinese medicine practitioner, company head win Hong Kong by-election". South China Morning Post. 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ Ho, Adrian (2022-01-03). "Hong Kong election: Democracy is never going to be a one-size-fits-all solution". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ Ho, Adrian (2022-10-20). "China's 20th Party Congress: A path to modernisation and prosperity". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ "Tech or culture? Legco by-election candidates differ on Hong Kong's main focus". South China Morning Post. 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ "'Get approval for foreign lawyers in NSL cases' - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ Ho, Adrian (2023-01-08). "Beijing's ruling on foreign lawyers: Interpretation will help bolster Hong Kong's national security". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ Ho, Adrian. "Hong Kong District Councils: Why reforms are a positive step for the city - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP". hongkongfp.com. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
- ^ Ho, Adrian (2024-03-03). "Opinion: Hong Kong's Article 23 will safeguard city's future". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- ^ Ho, Adrian. "Ignore the bigotry, the 2022 Gay Games will be a tonic for Hong Kong - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP". hongkongfp.com. Retrieved 2023-01-01.