Charles Ho Tsu-kwok, GBM (, 23 June 1949 – 12 June 2025) was a Hong Kong businessman who was the chairman of the

Sing Tao News Corporation Limited Sing Tao News Corporation Limited (Sing Tao) is a Hong Kong media company, incorporated in Bermuda. It was formerly called Global China Group Holdings Limited. History The Group, which is listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, was founded i ...

between 2001 and 2021 and an independent non-executive director of

Shun Tak Holdings Shun Tak Holdings Limited () is a Hong Kong–Macau company founded in 1972. It has been one of the constituents of the Hang Seng Hong Kong MidCap Index since 11 September 2006. The company is active in shipping, property, hospitality, and inve ...

. As a member of the

pro-Beijing camp The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp or pro-China camp is a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Government of the People's Republic of China, Beijing central government and the Chinese Commun ...

, Ho maintained good relations with the

Chinese government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

, and was appointed a National Committee Member of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

representing

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, serving in that post since 1998. Ho was awarded the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Decorations and medals of Hong Kong, Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong ...

, the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system by

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

CY Leung Leung Chun-ying ( zh, t=梁振英; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confe ...

on 1 July 2014, although the decision to award Ho with such an award sparked controversy in the Hong Kong media.

Early life

Ho was born in Hong Kong on 23 June 1949. He had family roots in

. He was the grandson of Ho Ying-chie, the founder and owner of the Hong Kong Tobacco Company Limited, and the brother of

David Ho David Da-i Ho (; pinyin: ''Hé Dà-yī''; born November 3, 1952) is a Taiwanese-American AIDS researcher, physician, and virologist who has made a number of scientific contributions to the understanding and treatment of HIV infection. He w ...

, a

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

-based entrepreneur. Ho founded the Sing Tao Newspaper Group Limited in 2001.

Events

Relation with CY Leung

On 9 December 2011, Ho, an outspoken supporter of Chief Executive Election candidate

Henry Tang Henry Tang Ying-yen (; born 6 September 1952) is a Hong Kong politician who served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2011. He held the position of Financial Secretary from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he lost the Hong Kong Chief ...

, publicly challenged Tang's opponent CY Leung in a press conference, questioning his ability to handle the top job in Hong Kong. Ho noted that one of Leung's companies, DTZ Holdings, had the values of its shares decreased to zero and declared bankruptcy, and thus fearing that "Hong Kong's economy would become zero because of Leung's wrong decisions". However, in an interview on 30 August 2014, Ho withdrew his accusation towards CY Leung by praising Leung's efforts in improving people's livelihood, saying that Leung's decisions "hasn't made Hong Kong's economy become zero yet".

Awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal

On 1 July 2014, Ho was awarded the

, the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system by

for his "distinguished service to the community, particularly his contribution to the media industry." The decision to award Ho the highest honour sparked dismay among some Hong Kong media. Ho is originally considered a staunch supporter

, CY Leung's major opponent in the 2012 Chief Executive Election. However, he switched sides and praised Leung as a competent leader immediately after he was elected, and thereafter was a staunch supporter of CY Leung's government. Some media expressed opinions that Ho did not deserve the award, as they believed only "true heroes" should be honoured instead of a " yes man" like Ho.

Objections to "Civil Nomination"

In an interview on 30 August 2014, Ho commented on the civil nomination proposal demanded by members of the

pro-democracy camp The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic La ...

for the

2017 Chief Executive election The 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive election was held on 26 March 2017 for the 5th term of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong (CE), the highest office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Former Chief Secretary for Administration ...

, saying that there is no such thing as a "civil nomination" in any political system worldwide, and that he feared that the adoption of a "civil nomination" for Chief Executive may ultimately result in triads nominated for the post.

Reported entry denied to US

In early December 2019, there were unconfirmed reports that Ho was denied entry to the United States after the passing of the

Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong may refer to: Places *Høng, a town in Denmark *Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China *Hong, Nigeria *Hong River in China and Vietnam *Lake Hong in China Surnames *Hong (Chinese surname) *Hong (Korean surname) O ...

. Ho denied the rumour and sued an online media for libel.

Politics

In December 2021, it was reported that Ho was eligible to vote four times in the

2021 Hong Kong legislative election The 2021 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was a general election held on 19 December 2021 for the 7th Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Under the drastic 2021 Hong Kong electoral changes, Beijing-imposed electoral overhaul, the composition ...

, yielding 0.0334058% of the total voting value (elected seats), which is 6721 times more than the value of an average voter's total voting value.

Personal life

Ho studied at Diocesan Boy's School in the early parts of his life before moving to the USA to pursue higher studies. He returned to Hong Kong to assume the leadership of his father's company. Ho disclosed information on his lung cancer diagnosis in February 2025. After receiving treatment in Hong Kong, he made a successful recovery and voiced his conviction about the right to smoke freely. Ho died on 12 June 2025, at the age of 75, believed to be due to complications from influenza.https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/article/304603/Business-tycoon-Charles-Ho-passes-away-at-75

Awards

*2014:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Charles 1949 births 2025 deaths Hong Kong businesspeople Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 1998–2000 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2000–2005 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2007–2012 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2012–2017 Members of the Election Committee of Hong Kong, 2017–2021 Members of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Sing Tao News Corporation Deaths from influenza