Hong Kong needs to make a stand for shareholder democracy. Alibaba’s decision to shift its giant stock market listing to the United States has sparked a debate about control of public companies in the former British colony. Hong Kong’s stock exchange, whose rules wouldn’t have permitted a plan to let Alibaba insiders nominate a majority of board directors, is preparing a public consultation on shareholder rights. But dumping the principle of “one share, one vote” would be a mistake. The snub raises fears that other fast-growing Chinese companies will choose to raise capital elsewhere, leaving the Hong Kong exchange as a stagnant backwater dominated by local tycoons and stodgy Chinese state-owned companies. Weibo, another hot Chinese tech company, is also planning a New York IPO.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 22:01:56 +0000