Cathay Pacific for first time offers airfare discounts to Hong Kong voters in mainland China returning for district council poll

Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways will for the first time offer discounted airfares to city voters living in mainland China so they can return for the coming district council election amid reported apathy over the poll.

Confirming the move after Post inquiries, a Cathay spokesman said the aim was to “facilitate Hong Kong residents residing on the Chinese mainland returning to Hong Kong and actively participating in the coming 2023 district council ordinary election on December 10”.

Cathay has not announced the offer on its website.

The airline has provided discount codes to some groups, sources say. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

The election will be the first since the government revamped the district council system earlier this year as part of a series of changes under Beijing’s “patriots-only” governance model.

Sources said the airline had provided discount codes to some pro-Beijing associations.

Hongkongers living across the border can enter the code to enjoy a 10 per cent discount before the election on tickets bought online for flights between December 5 and 20.

The Hong Kong Federation of Hainan Community Organisations is among the groups involved.

A random Post search found that a single economy-class ticket from Beijing to Hong Kong costs HK$1,194 for most days in December, while a flight from Shanghai to the city is HK$731.

Tam Yiu-chung, formerly the city’s sole delegate to the country’s top legislative body, said the poll had to be held “decently” given it was the first municipal-level race under the “patriots-only” electoral system.

“The government will be held accountable if it fails to promote it well,” he said.

“Some private organisations have offered a helping hand under the administration’s blanket promotional efforts. Beijing, of course, also hopes to see more people casting their votes.”

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for semi-official Beijing think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said both the government and private organisations wanted to show to the outside world, including Beijing, that they attached importance to the revamped district council election.

“No matter how the government judges the final turnout, they should always try their best to spice up the election,” he said.

The pro-Beijing Hong Kong Island Social Services Charitable Foundation on Tuesday launched a four-round quiz/lucky draw on the election to encourage people to vote, giving out at least eight Huawei mobile phones and 400 supermarket vouchers worth HK$300 each.

Cathay’s move came about a week after key Beijing official Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, met the leadership of British-owned conglomerate Swire Group, the airline’s parent company, in Shenzhen.

According to the office, Xia praised the group for its long-term presence in Hong Kong and support for the “one country, two systems” governing principle.

He also told Merlin Swire, chief executive of John Swire & Sons who led the delegation, that Beijing hoped the conglomerate would continue to firmly support the governing blueprint, and contribute more to Hong Kong’s economic and social development.

The previous district council election in 2019 saw a record turnout of 71.2 per cent, with the opposition camp winning a landslide victory at the height of that year’s anti-government protests.

But some pundits and politicians said they expected a poor turnout for the first poll since the electoral shake-up.

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday avoided a question on whether a low turnout would discredit the overhauled system and said its merits would be shown by the process itself and the service delivery of the new councils.

But he added that officials were doing everything they could to get residents to vote.

The government has given the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau the lead role in boosting election promotional efforts, working alongside the Information Services Department.

Officials of various bureaus and departments have also filmed videos and used social media to promote the December 10 election.

In a bid to get more people to take part in the election, authorities earlier this month set up two polling stations in Sheung Shui to ensure locals living across the border could get involved.

The election will see 228 candidates contesting seats in 18 district committee constituencies and another 171 vying for spots in 44 geographical constituencies. No opposition candidates secured enough support to run.

Additional reporting by Jess Ma