The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently assessed a man to be susceptible to influence from foreign actors.
Hong Kong-born businessman Philip Chan Man Ping, 59, has reportedly attended two parliamentary sessions in China.
As the President of the Kowloon Club, he also plays a role in helping immigrants from Hong Kong who are in Singapore.
Now, the authorities are intending to designate him as a politically significant person.
Here’s what you need to know about the man who’s been singled out under Singapore’s foreign interference laws.
In March 2023, Philip Chan made a trip to China at the invitation of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
According to The Straits Times (ST), the CPPCC is the top advisory body comprising about 2,200 representatives from political parties, ethnic minority groups, and various sectors.
The Singaporean businessman was not there for leisure. ST noted in a separate report about Singaporean businessmen being invited to China that Mr Chan was one of 30 overseas representatives at China’s Two Sessions parliamentary meetings, also known as lianghui.
Source: CGTN
During these meetings, the CPPCC discuss important political, social, and economic issues, as well as make proposals.
As one of the overseas representatives, Mr Chan attended the opening and closing ceremonies and took part in a discussion.
He also met CPPCC secretary-general Wang Dongfeng and visited Shenzhen University.
Mr Chan told ST that the participants discussed how Chinese immigrants should behave in their host countries.
He added that the trip was about “old friends” catching up again.
Mr Philip Chan was born and raised in Hong Kong but immigrated to Singapore over 30 years ago, revealed ST in an article about him.
He is now a naturalised Singaporean. Over the years, Mr Chan has been involved in various associations including charitable organisation SPD and the People’s Association (PA). The SPD page about Mr Chan seems to have become unavailable at the time of writing.
In 2018, he became the President of the Hong Kong Singapore Business Association (HSBA).
The HSBA helps to link business communities in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Additionally, he is the President of the Kowloon Club — an association that helps new immigrants from Hong Kong who have come to Singapore.
In this capacity, Mr Chan has rubbed shoulders with officials such as former Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Ms Sun Haiyan.
The two met in 2022 as part of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Apart from being the President of two associations, Mr Chan is also the founder of China Link Education Consultancy.
The consultancy has offices in both Singapore and China and is “closely connected” to institutions such as Shenzhen University.
“I founded China Link Education Consultancy hoping to nurture better understanding and more appreciation toward China from within the ASEAN communities,” wrote Mr Chan in his founder’s statement.
He revealed that he sent his two sons to China for a one-year study and internship after their graduation, noting that they became “sought-after” employees upon their return to Singapore.
“One year of eye-opening experience has turned them into a person with the vision and work attitude essential for career building,” he said.
“And of course, they have made good friends there too.”
In 2019, Philip Chan received a warning for facilitating a gathering in Singapore to discuss the Hong Kong protests, reported ST.
The gathering on 11 Oct lasted for half an hour. Those in attendance were Hong Kongers living in Singapore.
A man from Hong Kong, Alex Yeung, was also given a stern warning.
He had led a group of at least 10 people in a chant in Cantonese that went as such:
Support Hong Kong police, protect Hong Kong, justice will win.
Yeung and Mr Chan had their passports impounded while the police investigated the illegal gathering.
According to TODAY, the former is a founder of Wah Kee restaurants and is known for his pro-establishment and pro-China views.
For a period of about eight years from 2011 to 2019, Mr Chan wrote for the Singapore Chinese-language newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao.
He was a guest writer and mainly wrote in his capacity as the President of Kowloon Club.
As such, he contributed stories relating to immigration issues, personal reflections, and professional insights about real estate, noted ST.
Over his years in Singapore, Mr Chan became the Managing Director for multiple companies, including:
Wen Way is the real estate investment arm of Global Fortune 500 conglomerate Amer International Group.
Apart from being a successful businessman, Mr Chan has developed connections to both China and Hong Kong.
On 2 Feb, MHA issued a notice stating its intention to designate Mr Chan as a politically significant person.
Following the date of this notice, he has two weeks to submit his representations to the registrar.
He is reportedly the first person to be dealt with under the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica), a law that empowers the authorities here to deal with foreign interference in domestic politics.
Should Mr Chan be designated as a politically significant person, he would have to make annual disclosures to the authorities of political donations of S$10,000 or more that he has received and accepted.
Additionally, he has to declare his foreign affiliations and any migration benefits.
Also read: Sec 4 Student Who Identified As White Supremacist Issued Restriction Order Under ISA
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Featured image adapted from Chan Man Ping Philip on Facebook and Gutzy Asia.
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