The People’s Daily, official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist party, has criticised Asia’s richest man for divesting some of his assets in China, describing it as immoral, ungrateful and ultimately self-defeating.
Li Ka-shing, the 87-year-old Hong Kong property, telecoms and port tycoon worth nearly $33bn, has been alternately lambasted and defended in Chinese media and the internet in recent weeks for deals that shifted his business empire away towards Europe.
“Concerning the controversy over [Mr Li’s] divestments from the mainland, the war of words continues: is it a normal business operation or an act of immoral misconduct? A legal adjustment or a helpless evacuation?” the newspaper asked in an editorial posted on Chinese social media.