Algernon Yau Ying-wah (; born 1959) is the current
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, appointed on 1 July 2022 as part of
John Lee John Lee may refer to:
Academia
* John Lee (astronomer) (1783–1866), president of the Royal Astronomical Society
* John Lee (university principal) (1779–1859), University of Edinburgh principal
* John Lee (pathologist) (born 1961), English
...
's administration.
Biography
Yau is the grandson of late
Qing
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
Taiwanese Hakka
Taiwanese Hakka is a language group consisting of Hakka dialects spoken in Taiwan, and mainly used by people of Hakka ancestry. Taiwanese Hakka is divided into five main dialects: Sixian, Hailu, Dabu, Raoping, and Zhao'an. The most widely sp ...
patriot
Qiu Fengjia
Qiu Fengjia or Chiu Feng-Chia (; 26 December 1864 – 25 February 1912) was a Taiwanese Hakka−Chinese patriot, educator, and poet.
History
He was born in Aulang Town (), Tamsui Ting, Taiwan Prefecture, Fujian Province (modern-day Tongluo, Mi ...
. Yau studied at the
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University.
In his professional life, he was CEO of
Cathay Dragon
Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (), also known as Cathay Dragon () and Dragonair, was a Hong Kong-based international regional airline, with its corporate headquarters and airline hub, main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. In the f ...
, before becoming CEO of
Greater Bay Airlines.
On 1 July 2022, he was appointed as the
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.
In September 2022, Yau said he was confident that the November 2022
Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in Hong Kong would be successful; top financial executives who were invited made quarantine-free travel to the city a mandatory precondition.
In December 2022, Yau said the number of international companies in Hong Kong had fallen to below 9,000 for the first time since 2019, with a further 3% surveyed planning to relocate, and another 16% uncertain about their plans.
National Security Law
In September 2022, Yau said it was important to tell the Hong Kong story accurately, and said that some news reports were inaccurate on Hong Kong's freedoms after the
National Security Law was passed.
COVID-19
In September 2022, in response to Hong Kong and quarantine-free travel, Yau claimed that the government uses a pragmatic approach and will make a science-based decision.
Made in China
In December 2022, the WTO had ruled that the United States is in breach of international trade rules by requiring all products made in Hong Kong to be marked as "
Made in China". Yau criticised the US ban hours after the WTO ruling, and stated of the US actions that it was "politically motivated and a vain attempt to interfere with Hong Kong's internal affairs through weaponizing trade." Yau asserted that Hong Kong sends only a tiny portion of its exports to the US and so "the value of the trade is not the point." He said that the move by the United States had "confused" customers and that his "government's successful challenge to a US ban on the 'Made in Hong Kong' label is a matter of upholding the SAR's separate status in the World Trade Organisation."
Personal life
In August 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19. In December 2022, a family member tested positive for COVID-19, and Yau underwent home quarantine.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yau, Algernon
1959 births
Living people
Chief executives in the airline industry
Government officials of Hong Kong