That year he also bought a controlling stake in Hutchison, a venerable British trading house. Despite political tensions surrounding Hong Kong's return to China, the companies made bumper profits and expanded throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In the local business community, his name and connections have secured access to capital when others went begging. In the past year, the government's drive towards more deregulation has been punctuated by interventionist lapses that benefited large landowners and stockholders, including Li. However, most analysts see those measures as knee-jerk reactions to a crisis that the government feared might permanently damage the economy.
All indications are that deregulation is still the dominant theme of long-term economic policy.
He believes the government has not looked after the interests of businessmen since the handover. A series of controversies in 1998 have chipped away at the goodwill that he used to enjoy. It began in March. A public outcry ensued. In the July TV interview, which was aired in September, Li expressed anger at criticism of the deal.