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Wall Street Courts Hong Kong Strongman John Lee

Wall Street Courts Hong Kong Strongman John Lee

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee



Photo:

Selim Chtayti/Associated Press

Much of corporate America has adopted progressive claims about social justice—though that concern seems to stop at the water’s edge. Witness the pilgrimage to Hong Kong that top Wall Street executives are scheduled to make next month to meet the official who arrested democracy supporters, undermined the rule of law, and crushed the free press.

On Nov. 2,

John Lee,

the current chief executive and former secretary for security of Hong Kong, will keynote the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong. Scheduled speakers also include

Morgan Stanley

CEO

James Gorman,

Blackstone

president

Jonathan Gray,

Goldman Sachs

CEO

David Solomon,

Citigroup

CEO

Jane Fraser,

BlackRock

president

Rob Kapito,

and

JPMorgan

president

Daniel Pinto.

All the masters of Wall Street.

They surely know who Mr. Lee is. In 2020 the U.S. Treasury sanctioned him for “being involved in coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the National Security Law.” Beijing imposed the law to outlaw dissent in Hong Kong, and the maximum penalty is life in prison. As of June 26, 203 people had been arrested and 123 charged under the law, according to the online magazine ChinaFile.

A megayacht owned by a sanctioned Russian tycoon recently docked in Hong Kong harbor, triggering a U.S. warning. “The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment,” a State Department spokesperson told Bloomberg. Hong Kong said it doesn’t enforce U.S. sanctions.

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