Hong Kong’s four secret British-funded conglomerates: each has its own merits and is extremely rich, and some have sponsored Li Ka-shing

Today, Hong Kong’s economy is relatively developed. As early as the Opium War, Hong Kong became a British colony.

During this period, the British established many domestic companies in Hong Kong. And under their management, British-funded enterprises quickly occupied a place in Hong Kong.

After Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, the United Kingdom withdrew most of its companies, but a small number of British-owned groups chose to stay and have occupied an important position in Hong Kong's industrial economy since then.

Among them, the most well-known ones are undoubtedly the four major British-funded consortiums. Not only are they involved in multiple fields, but they also control 15 listed companies in Hong Kong.

One can imagine how wealthy these four major financial groups are. But to reach today's height, these consortiums also have some little-known tricks behind the scenes.

Some have cheated Huawei, and some have even funded Li Ka-shing. Who are these four major British-funded consortiums? What are the stories behind it? Today the author is here to take you through it.

One of these four major consortiums is the HSBC Group. Many people must be familiar with the name of the HSBC Group, and its most famous one is undoubtedly the HSBC Bank. Perhaps few people in the mainland know that HSBC is an out-and-out British-owned enterprise.

In 1865, Thomas Su Shilan, an Englishman who was the chairman of Hong Kong Shipping Company, relied on his vast network of contacts to unite 15 foreign banks and founded HSBC Bank.

And in just one month, a branch was established in Shanghai. At that time, the Qing government's seclusion and the chain reaction caused by the Opium War caused the Qing government's foreign debt to increase sharply.

However, under this situation, there was no decent bank in the country that could provide the Qing government with a large amount of financial support.

In Su Shilan's eyes, this situation is a huge business opportunity that needs to be developed. As for the name "HSBC Bank", Su Shilan relied on her own connections to ask Zeng Guofan's son Zeng Jize to inscribe the name.

In the second year after the establishment of HSBC, the Hong Kong government encountered an economic crisis. At the critical moment, HSBC provided support of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, which enabled it to tide over the difficulties.

Afterwards, in order to repay the gratitude, the Hong Kong government handed over the power of issuing Hong Kong dollars to HSBC. This shows that Su Shilan's business acumen is evident.

In 1884, the Qing government was in urgent need of funds to build Taiwan's defenses. However, under the threat of Japan, almost all banks did not dare to provide financial support to the Qing government.

At this time, HSBC stood up. This was also the first time that HSBC "cooperated" with the Qing government. After that, HSBC helped Li Hongzhang to bring down Zuo Zongtang.

This also made HSBC completely become the "money bag" of the Qing government. In the more than ten years from 1874 to 1890, HSBC accounted for 70% of the total borrowings of the Qing government.

With its "support" to the Qing government, HSBC became the largest bank at the time, and it was brilliant for a while. Later, during the Anti-Japanese War, HSBC also developed again.

After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, HSBC retreated to Hong Kong. With the advent of China's reform and opening up, HSBC has once again seen opportunities for development.

During this period, HSBC achieved further development by supporting Chinese business enterprises. Among them, Bao Yugang became a shipping king with the support of Shen Bi, the head of HSBC Bank.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Bi also secretly promoted the cooperation between Pao Yugang and Li Ka-shing, and then provided loans to Li Ka-shing at a low price. It was because of this that Li Ka-shing later became a businessman in Hong Kong. status.

However, HSBC, which is developing rapidly, has been sanctioned by the US Department of Justice.

However, in order to clear itself of suspicion and escape punishment from the U.S. Department of Justice, through a so-called "internal investigation", HSBC provided the U.S. Department of Justice with materials that could be used to prosecute Huawei.

Jardine Matheson Group is an old store with a century-old history. It was once one of the four major foreign banks in Hong Kong and is now the largest company in Hong Kong. The well-known Yonghui Supermarket, 7-11, etc. belong to the Jardine Group.

However, as one of the four major consortiums in Hong Kong, Jardine Matheson Group appears to be exceptionally low-key.

In 1832, Jardine Matheson & Co. was established in Guangzhou. After the founding of New China, the company moved to Hong Kong Land and Wharf.

But later, Wharf was captured by Pao Yugang. In desperation, Jardine Matheson began to turn its target to Hong Kong Land.

However, misfortunes never come singly, and Hong Kong Land was eventually taken over by Li Ka-shing.

As a result, Jardine Matheson eventually had to take back the shares from Li Ka-shing at a high price. After that, Jardine Matheson transferred its assets.

And continue to invest in mainland industries. It is reported that in 2020 alone, Jardine Group spent a high price of 31.05 billion to acquire a piece of land in Shanghai.

And it plans to build a financial city in Shanghai in the next few years. In addition to Shanghai, Jardine Group has also developed its own industries in Beijing, Hangzhou and other places.

Jardine Group has always adhered to the model of only renting but not selling, relying on rentals and development projects to achieve revenue. According to data, in the first half of 2021, the profits of Hong Kong real estate have reached US$394 million.

In addition to real estate projects in Hong Kong, Jardine Matheson Group is present in retail department stores, construction projects, automobile manufacturing and other fields.

The retail sector includes the familiar Yonghui Supermarket, Wanning Pharmacy, Maxim’s Food, etc., as well as the IKEA supermarket and 7-11 which are widely popular among the public.

In addition, in the automobile sector, Zhongsheng Group is the second largest automobile dealer group in China. As early as 2014, Jardine Group invested HK$5.667 billion to acquire shares in Zhongsheng Group.

In addition, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a well-known luxury hotel nationwide, is also under the Jardine Matheson Group.

Today, the Jardine Group has been in business for more than 189 years. According to the Fortune rankings, in 2020, the Jardine Group has ranked 301 among the world's top 500 companies, and is gaining momentum. .

We are already familiar with the names Taikoo Li and Taikoo Hui. Because of this, many people mistakenly think that these are our local real estate.

In fact, these commercial landmarks scattered in first-tier cities all belong to one brand, and that is the Swire Financial Group.

John Swire, the original founder of the Swire Group, was engaged in the wool trade 200 years ago. However, with the invasion of colonists from various countries and the inflow of cheap foreign cotton, the British wool trade was impacted. .

In this case, John Swire's father and grandfather also went bankrupt.

When he reached adulthood, he had no choice but to start from scratch and move to other industries. In 1816, 23-year-old John Schweizer opened a textile factory with the help of his father and engaged in textile trade.

After the death of John Schweizer, the property was inherited by his two sons.

His two children were more business-savvy and turned John Swire's industry into an international enterprise.

In 1861, under the influence of the South American Civil War, John Schweizer's son began to focus on the vast market of China, investing in the Blue Chimney Steamship Company in China and making a lot of money.

Later, the Schweizer brothers used a large amount of assets to acquire Brewer's House in Shanghai, thus officially establishing "Swire Pacific".

In 1970, the Swire Group's industries began to enter Hong Kong. Against the background of the British occupation of Hong Kong at that time, the Swire Group quickly established a foothold in Hong Kong.

And it became one of the four major foreign banks in Hong Kong. And for many years after that, the Swire Group's main business has been distributed in Hong Kong.

However, with the rapid development of mainland China, the Swire Group naturally could not miss such a great opportunity and quickly launched its own business in many first-tier cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

Even at that time, when Li Ka-shing and Pao Yugang acquired the four major foreign banks, Swire Bank was the only survivor. This is closely related to the Swire Group's emphasis on industry.

Even now under the influence of the epidemic, Swire Properties, a subsidiary of the Swire Group, seems to have hardly been affected at all.

The occupancy rate of its group's office buildings in Hong Kong still reaches 96%, and other commercial properties also maintain occupancy rates of over 98%.

And under the influence of the epidemic, the Swire Group not only did not slow down, but also vigorously developed existing projects, with many projects to be completed next year.

As the epidemic gradually recovers, the demand for office buildings and shopping malls in prime locations is gradually recovering. Presumably, in the days to come, the Swire Group, which collects rents, will reach a higher level.

Another of the four major financial groups in Hong Kong is the Kadoorie Group. Unlike other financial groups such as HSBC and Swire, the Kadoorie family seems to really regard themselves as Chinese.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the second generation of the Kadoorie family, Roland Kadoorie, did not hesitate to blow up the power plant that he had spent a lot of money to build in Hong Kong in order to resist the Japanese invaders.

Because of this, he was placed under house arrest by the Japanese and was not released until decades later.

Later, the Kadoorie family even donated a mansion in Shanghai to my country. The construction of this mansion cost 1 million taels of silver.

In addition, the Kadoorie family has also participated in many charitable undertakings in China. Today, the Kadoorie family has lasted for four generations, and its business has lasted for more than 100 years.

In Hong Kong, almost 70% of the electricity market is controlled by the Kadoorie family, and its CLP Group is also one of the largest listed companies in Hong Kong.

The Kadoorie family can earn tens of billions of dollars just by generating electricity. Although many people think that Li Ka-shing is the king of electricity in Hong Kong, they do not know that compared with China Power Group, Li Ka-shing's electricity coverage is only a small part of the area.

In addition to the power industry, Kadoorie Company also has its own listed companies in other industries, including the popular Peninsula Hotel. From the beginning to the present, the Kadoorie family has always been one of the top ten wealthy families in Hong Kong.

These four major British-funded consortiums can also be said to have a long history in China, and occupy an important position in Hong Kong's economic system.

Although this impact has a certain driving and stimulating effect on Hong Kong's economy and even the mainland's economy, on the other hand, it is also a double-edged sword.

After all, foreigners are in control behind it. Once something changes, it will have a certain monopoly effect, leaving my country's local enterprises with no more room for development and being restricted.

Especially among these four major groups, in the business competition, some people have extended a helping hand to Li Ka-shing, while others have messed with Huawei behind the scenes.

These measures have undoubtedly had some impact on my country's market trends and the development of domestic enterprises.

Perhaps in Hong Kong, where the economic strength needs to be developed rapidly, the emergence of these four British-owned groups has resolved Hong Kong's top priority and improved Hong Kong's overall strength.

But at present, perhaps Hong Kong needs an economic market that rejects monopoly and can engage in healthy competition!

1. Global Times "Foreign media broke the news: It turned out to be HSBC!" Secretly "shadowing" Huawei"

2. "The King of Foreign Trade: Jardine and its Business Empire"