Dr. Chen Hongtian, CPPCC National Committee member and Chairman of the Cheung Kei Group, relays the spirit of the Two Sessions to its employees

2019.03.22

On March 15, 2019, as the curtains were drawn for the annual plenary sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the deputies of the NPC and members of the CPPCC who had attended the sessions returned to their respective cities after fulfilling their missions and performing their obligations as a delegate.

Dr. Chen Hongtian, the Chairman of the Cheung Kei Group and an elected member of the 11th, 12th and 13th National Committee of the CPPCC had also returned to Hong Kong with the other delegates from Macao and Hong Kong. On March 19, Dr. Chen Hongtian shared his key takeaways from the events and relayed the spirit of the Two Sessions to the heads of the various departments and subsidiary companies, and employees of the Cheung Kei Group at a meeting conducted at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen.

The venue for the second session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC

Firstly, Dr. Chen Hongtian had expressed his gratitude and acknowledgement for the results accomplished after the conclusion of the Two Sessions. This year, macro-level policies, concepts, and plans by the government as well as recommendations from different sectorsand regions, were presented during the conference, illustrating the collective efforts, unity and the unique advantages of China's democratic political consultative system.

Dr. Chen Hongtian then shared the key takeaways and interpretations of the Government Work Report of the year presented by Premier Li Keqiang, and the key take aways of the work report of the 13th Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee delivered by Wang Yang, the Chairman of the CPPCC. In addition, Dr. Chen Hongtian also gave an overview to the discussion between the Hong Kong and Macao delegates from the National Committee of the CPPCC, presided over by the Standing Committee ofthe Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Han Zheng, the Vice Premier of the State Council. Dr. Chen then highlighted the plans, expectations, and requirements put forth by Vice Premier Han Zheng on the infrastructure and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Dr. Chen Hongtian attending the annual plenary sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC

After relaying the key messages and spirit of the Two Sessions, Dr. Chen Hongtian then emphasizedon the following points to the employees attending the meeting:

Firstly, this year's Two Sessions is a major meeting convened during a crucial year in accomplishing the CPC's centenary goal of "building a moderately prosperous society in all respects." The spirit of the Two Sessions has provided the country with a direction for development in 2019, and it has also provided better conditions and momentum for the development and innovation of enterprises from all regions.

Secondly, as a memberof the National Committee of CPPCC and a leader of an enterprise, I have there sponsibility and obligation to relay the message and spirit of the meeting, allowing everyone to gain a better understanding on the development trends and status of the country. I hope that every employee in the company, from management level executives to all of our staff would be diligent in learning about the spirit and coverage of the Two Sessions, to have better understanding on the country's development.

Thirdly, the Guangdong-HongKong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important, imperative, and vital national development strategy. Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao will be welcoming a brand new opportunity in the future, and it shall greatly elevate the country's competitiveness, as well as the clout that the Pearl River Delta city cluster holds among the major metropolitan clusters worldwide.

Fourthly, as a Hong Kong enterprise, Cheung Kei Group will continue to be patriotic to the country and patriotic to Hong Kong under the guidance of the country's all-encompassing policy directives. The company will function as a bridge between Hong Kong and Mainland China, and give its full support to the development of the Guangdong-HongKong-Macao Greater Bay Area, playing an instrumental part to the growth of the region through its contributions.

In "Proposal on the Recommendations for Restoring the Roles and Duties of Teachers", he has highlighted the current phenomenon of role reversal between teachers and parents, in which teachers' roles and duties are severely misaligned. Dr. ChenHongtian has remarked that the trend of "homework being done by parents", "homework being graded by parents" has persisted despite being prohibited, resulting in the mounting tensions between parents and schools, and affecting the child's eventual learning outcomes. Therefore, it is imperative to clarify the role of teachers and parents play respectively in a child's education, and to ensure that the fundamental roles and duties that a teacher ought to perform are restored. His proposal is an accurate reflection and summary of certain trends in society currently, and was very well-received by many parents and fellow members of the National Committee of CPPCC.

As a successful entrepreneur, Dr. Chen Hongtian is highly concerned about the business ecosystem that companies develop and operate in. In his "Proposal on the Recommendations to Improving the Property Preservation System and Restricting the Provision of Guarantees for Property Preservation Using Independent Letters of Guarantees," Dr.Chen addressed the complex issue of property preservation that many businesses are currently facing in their operation and development. He proposed that the policies and judicial interpretation of the property preservation measure must be comprehensively amended and improved. He then suggested that "Any clauses that are detrimental to the fair and just protection of either party shall be abolished or amended in a timely manner. Focus should be placed on improving the approval and review process for the application of property preservations, and to be stringent in the permitting of the use of independent letters of guarantees when providing guarantees on one's property, to prevent the severe operational impacts on any parties arising from property protection being granted before any disputes are clarified.”

Finally, Dr. Chen Hongtian is also very concerned about the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as the quality of its development and speed of its progress will have a direct impact on the many businesses operating in the region. In "Proposal on the Promotionof Mobility and Flow of Talent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater BayArea", Dr. Chen Hong Tian evaluated the current situation of talent flow and discrepancies between taxation policies between Hong Kong and Mainland China, and proposed formulating policy measures to facilitate Hong Kong and Macao residents in developing their career and businesses in Mainland China.

In particular, Dr. Chen Hongtian had raised a number of recommendations regarding to the income tax burdens and the promotion of talent flow in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. These includes referencing the policy measure of financial subsidies for the exemption of personal income tax policy that are implemented in Qianhai and Hengqin; for the State Council to verify and provide the Municipal Government with the authority to issue subsidies or exemptions to persons from Hong Kong and Macao working in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, based on the difference between the income tax payable in Mainland and abroad. Dr. Chen Hongtian's proposals and recommendations are pragmatic and could be implemented to address issues faced currently, and they also fully demonstrates Dr. Chen Hongtian's insights as a visionary businessman, and an entrepreneur who is patriotic to the country and to Hong Kong.