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Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Property tycoon Robert Ng and 3 children designated politically significant persons under Fica
(Clockwise from top left) Singaporean property tycoon Robert Ng and three of his children – Mr Daryl Ng, Mr David Ng and Ms Nikki Ng – have been designated 'politically significant persons'. PHOTOS: BLOOMBERG, YEO HIAP SENG, DAVID NG/LINKEDIN, PBCFORUM SINGAPORE – Singaporean property tycoon Robert Ng Chee Siong and three of his children have been designated as 'politically significant persons' under the nation's foreign interference law designed to guard against the risks of foreign influence in domestic politics. Under Singapore's Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (Fica), they must declare political donations of $10,000 or more, among other precautionary oversight measures, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a statement on April 22. The measures, under Section 48(1) of Fica, will apply to Mr Robert Ng – chairman of Hong Kong-listed Sino Group, the sister company of Singapore's Far East Organization – whose affiliations with major Communist Party of China committees have put him under scrutiny of the Singapore authorities. The Fica measures also apply to his sons, Mr Daryl Ng Win Kong and Mr David Ng Win Loong, and his daughter, Ms Nikki Ng Mien Hua, with effect from April 22. According to publicly available records, the four are members of committees of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – an advisory group within the Communist Party of China's political system. MHA said in a statement on April 22 that the four were formally informed on April 7 that they would be designated as politically significant persons (PSPs). They did not object to the decision, it added. 'The designations of the four individuals are not because they have engaged in any egregious activity,' said the ministry. The family members had declared to the Registry of Foreign and Political Disclosures in 2024 that they are members of a foreign legislature or foreign political organisation, MHA said in an earlier statement on April 7. The declarations are mandatory for Singaporeans who are members of such foreign organisations, under Section 79 of Fica. Under Fica, the four will be required to make annual disclosures to the registrar on political donations of $10,000 or more that they receive and accept, as well as on their foreign affiliations and migration benefits such as honorary citizenship or permanent residency. Mr Robert Ng's family has a significant public profile in Singapore, with Far East Organization and Sino Group among the largest property developers in the country. The groups are linked to major property developments here, including the Fullerton Heritage project and the redevelopment of Golden Mile Complex. Sino Group's philanthropic arm, Hong Kong-based Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, has also made donations to several charitable causes and given substantial amounts to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in Jurong, as well as supporting the National Gallery Singapore. Mr Robert Ng has been increasingly linked to significant roles in the Chinese political sphere, including as the National Committee's deputy director of the committee for economic affairs and the vice-chairman of the China Overseas Friendship Association, a foreign affairs organisation under the Chinese government. His children, Mr Daryl Ng, 46; Ms Ng, 44; and Mr David Ng, 36, are members of the CPPCC's local committees, among other political affiliations. They are the deputy chairman, non-executive director and group associate director at Sino Group, respectively. Mr Daryl Ng is a standing committee member of the 14th Beijing Municipal Committee, and was a member of the 12th and 13th Beijing Municipal Committee. He is also the president of the Hong Kong United Youth Association and the chairman of the Hong Kong-Asean Foundation. Ms Ng is a member of the 14th Shanghai Municipal Committee, and had also been a member of the 12th to 13th committees, and Mr David Ng is a member of the 13th Fujian Provincial Committee, and had also been a member of the 12th committee. Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam had said in 2024 that Singapore citizens and permanent residents were allowed to be members of such foreign entities but, under Fica, they had to declare such memberships. Singaporeans who join such bodies would need to be discerning as to whether their participation could potentially go against Singapore's interests, Mr Shanmugam said then. Introduced in 2021, Fica arms the Singapore authorities to deal with covert attempts by hostile foreign actors to meddle with domestic politics, such as artificially amplifying certain views to manipulate public opinion on hot-button issues, instilling unrest or undermining confidence in institutions. The law was introduced by MHA amid an increasing prevalence of disinformation campaigns led by state actors and other organisations against targeted countries. Under Fica, PSPs can include political office-holders, MPs, and election candidates and their election agents. Other individuals or groups may also be designated politically significant if the authorities assess that their activities are directed towards a political end, and that it is in the public interest that countermeasures against foreign interference be applied. The law does not target Singaporeans or other local entities that express their views, unless they are being used by foreign entities as proxies for interference. Human rights group Maruah and non-governmental organisation Think Centre – both gazetted as political associations – were designated as PSPs in December 2023 when Fica's provisions against interference via local proxies came into force. Singaporean businessman Philip Chan Man Ping was also designated a politically significant person in February 2024. The National Trades Union Congress was designated a PSP in July 2024. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
22-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Singapore tycoon Robert Ng and his three children designated as 'politically significant persons'
SINGAPORE: Sino Group chairman Robert Ng and three of his children - Mr Daryl Ng, Ms Nikki Ng and Mr David Ng - have been designated as "politically significant persons" under a law to counter foreign interference. It comes about two weeks after they were served a notice of the authorities' intention to do so and did not submit any representations against their intended designation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a press release on Tuesday (Apr 22). Based on their declared memberships in foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations, MHA said the registrar assessed that they should be designated as "politically significant persons" under Section 48(1) of the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, or FICA. Enacted in 2021, the law contains "countermeasures to prevent, detect and disrupt foreign interference in (Singapore's) domestic politics". "The designations of the four individuals are not because they have engaged in any egregious activity," MHA said. Mr Daryl Ng, Ms Nikki Ng and Mr David Ng are the deputy chairman, a non-executive director and group associate director at Sino Group, respectively. Checks by CNA showed that the four members of the Ng family hold positions in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body. Unlike the National People's Congress, the CPPCC has no lawmaking powers, but its suggestions can influence policymaking. As a designated politically significant person, they are required to make annual disclosures to the Registrar on their political donations of S$10,000 (US$7,400) or more that they receive and accept. They also have to declare their foreign affiliations and migration benefits. Mr Robert Ng and his children declared their involvement shortly before Mar 1, 2024, which was the deadline for Singapore citizens to declare their memberships with foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations. Singaporeans who were already members before Feb 1, 2024, had to do so by Mar 1 that year. As of Mar 31, seven Singaporeans have declared their memberships in foreign legislatures or foreign political organisations. Mr Ng and his children were served notices on Apr 7, said MHA. MHA further clarified on Apr 9 that the other three individuals were not issued notices as the Registrar of Foreign and Political Disclosures had assessed that they did not meet the designation thresholds. This is the second time MHA has designated individuals under FICA provisions. The first person to be served this notice was Singaporean businessman Philip Chan Man Ping, who later received the designation on Feb 26, 2024. At the time of his designation, Mr Chan - who immigrated from Hong Kong and eventually became a Singapore citizen - was known to be associated with the CPPCC. He was also involved in grassroots and fundraising efforts in Singapore for over a decade. foreign interference FICA China
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cambridge takes up to £4.9m from Chinese Communist Party-linked donor
The University of Cambridge accepted donations of up to £4.9 million from a Hong Kong property tycoon with close ties to the city's sanctioned leaders and the Chinese Communist Party, The Telegraph can reveal. Cambridge was under pressure on Thursday night to hand back the cash amid claims that accepting the 'tainted' money compromised its academic independence. The donor Daryl Ng, who is estimated to be worth more than £11billion and whose family's business empire includes the Sino Group, has worked for both Carrie Lam and John Lee Ka-chiu, the former and serving chief executives of Hong Kong respectively. Mr Ng has served on two regional advisory committees in mainland China, which form part of the Chinese Communist Party's governing structures, and has praised Beijing's approach to Hong Kong. Both Lam and Lee were sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2020 for their crackdown on free speech and political freedoms in the city, carried out at the behest of Beijing. It was widely condemned by western Governments after causing mass protests. The UK has also accused Hong Kong's leaders and Beijing of reneging on legal commitments that the city maintain a high degree of autonomy. Since the clampdown began, more than 150,000 Hongkongers have fled to Britain under the British National Overseas visa route. Now, a freedom of information request has revealed that Cambridge University last year accepted a donation of between £1 million and £4.99 million from Mr Ng to fund a land economy PhD scholarship. Cambridge refused to specify the exact sum. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said Cambridge should hand back the money. He said: 'What Cambridge is trying to do is to disguise the nature of his links to the Chinese Communist Party and try to do it in a way that doesn't alert anybody. But they have been found out. 'This is not the only time. My worry is that Cambridge has pretty much sold out to China. Anything that comes from China is going to be money that is tainted by the CCP's own actions. 'It is a brutal Government that practises genocide and slave labour. Cambridge should hand [the donation] back.' Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'This is a characteristic failure of due-diligence by Cambridge, which has one of the worst Beijing dependency problems of any UK university. 'Ng enjoys senior CCP positions and is literally all over the Chinese internet calling for Hongkongers to use their influence abroad. This kind of investment is not benevolent. It will come at a heavy price for Cambridge, where, as we have seen time and again across the UK, academic freedom will suffer.' Mr Ng, whose family is originally from Singapore, was born in Hong Kong and has spent most of his career working for his family's Hong Kong real estate businesses as deputy chair of the Sino Group. He has also built deep political ties in the former British colony and mainland China. In 2017, he served as deputy director of Lam's election campaign to become Hong Kong's chief executive. Five years later, he also formed part of the three-member campaign finance team for Lee, who replaced Lam as chief executive. During Lam's tenure, Beijing imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong, granting it and the Hong Kong authorities more power to stifle opposition to the two respective governments. Mr Ng has served on municipal people's political consultative committees for Sichuan province and Beijing, which granted him an award in 2020 that is given to 'those who love the motherland, are committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and have made outstanding contributions to international cooperation and exchanges'. Such committees form part of China's 'patriotic united front' and have no official legislative role. According to the Taiwanese government, members are 'hand-picked to function as a rubber stamp' of CCP policy. In August last year, the same month he donated to Cambridge, Mr Ng also wrote an article praising the CCP's 'visionary grand design [with] promising implications for Hong Kong' in the South China Morning Post. When his donation was announced by Cambridge, the university made no reference to the sum of money or his political affiliations, citing only his 'passion for real estate' and that the studentship would be named in honour of his grandfather who studied at Cambridge in the 1940s. Mr Ng is just one of several wealthy donors to have given to the university since the clampdown in Hong Kong began. In the past four years, it received £24.45 million from donors in the city, compared with just £13.57 million in the previous four-year period. Cambridge has accepted multiple donations from China particularly under Stephen Toope, its former vice-chancellor. This week, Jesus College announced that its controversial China Forum would close after criticism over opaque funding arrangements and avoiding controversial subjects such as treatment of the minority Uyghurs. A Cambridge university spokesman said: 'The studentship was funded by Mr Ng, a Singaporean citizen, to honour his late Singaporean grandfather who studied at Cambridge in the 1940s. It supports talented students of all nationalities to undertake research. The University has a robust system for reviewing strategic relationships, donations, and sources of funding.' Mr Ng has been contacted for comment via his company. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
