CHINA: Leader of Hong Kong's Liberal Party James Tien says he will resign just hours after China's top parliamentary advisory body expelled him for calling on the city's embattled chief executive to step down

Record ID: 859329

  • Title: CHINA: Leader of Hong Kong's Liberal Party James Tien says he will resign just hours after China's top parliamentary advisory body expelled him for calling on the city's embattled chief executive to step down
  • Date: 29th October 2014
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (OCTOBER 29, 2014) (REUTERS) PARTY LEADER OF LIBERAL PARTY AND LEGISLATOR, JAMES TIEN (CENTRE), STANDING AT PODIUM AND SPEAKING TIEN SPEAKING REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTY LEADER OF LIBERAL PARTY AND LEGISLATOR, JAMES TIEN, SAYING: "The fact that I call, or rather urge Chief Executive CY Leung to resign because Hong Kong is getting a bit ungovernable is certainly, according to article 29, is incorrect. Therefore I accept their (CPPCC - Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) decision." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PARTY LEADER OF LIBERAL PARTY AND LEGISLATOR, JAMES TIEN, SAYING: "I will tender my resignation as the Party Leader of the Liberal Party. After which, I am more than happy to answer all your questions as a legislator, as a member of the Liberal Party, but no longer as Party Leader. This makes me feel in that way, I could contribute more to Hong Kong." TIEN SPEAKING
  • Embargoed: 13th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hong Kong, China
  • City:
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAV77DQWK8SYH1VIFERXNV05R7
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: The leader of Hong Kong's Liberal Party said he would resign on Wednesday (October 29), just hours after China's top parliamentary advisory body expelled him for calling on the city's embattled chief executive to step down.
    James Tien Pei-chun was voted out of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Wednesday (October 29) after he urged Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to resign last Friday (October 24) amid pro-democracy protests that have paralysed parts of the city.
    Beijing has said it fully supports Leung.
    This is the first time Clause 29, which allows the CPPCC to remove delegates for "serious violation" of the rules, has been invoked, Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK said.
    "The fact that I call, or rather urge Chief Executive CY Leung to resign because Hong Kong is getting a bit ungovernable is certainly, according to article 29, is incorrect. Therefore I accept their (CPPCC - Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) decision," Tien said.
    Tien also said he would resign as Liberal Party's leader later on Wednesday (October 29) evening during a party-wide meeting.
    "I will tender my resignation as the Party Leader of the Liberal Party. After which, I am more than happy to answer all your questions as a legislator, as a member of the Liberal Party, but no longer as Party Leader. This makes me feel in that way, I could contribute more to Hong Kong," Tien said.
    The move comes as Hong Kong protesters entered their fifth week of demonstrations, refusing to back down from demands for a fully-democratic election for the city's next leader in 2017.
    The CPPCC is a high profile but largely ceremonial advisory body to China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC). Its constitution gives its standing committee the ability to remove delegates if they violate the charter or plenary session resolutions.
    This is not the first time Tien has flexed his political muscle against Beijing. His resignation from Hong Kong's Executive Council after the July 1, 2003 march against a highly controversial proposed national security law forced then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa to withdraw it.
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