Cathay Pacific: CAAC's
'insular possession'? — August 2019

Hong Kong has been shaken by civil unrest over protests against legislative change, which morphed into demands for democratic reform, in the former British colony. The “One country, two systems” accord agreed in at the time of the 1997 British hand-over is being tested, and Cathay Pacific has been caught in the middle as the PRC attempts to impose control.

CEO Rupert Hogg nobly replied to a demand from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for a list of Cathay employees who had taken part in “illegal” protests by submitting a letter containing only his own name. A couple of days later Hogg was replaced by Augustus Tang, who had been CEO of HAECO, another Swire Pacific company.