28 Facts About Tam Yiu-chung

Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP is a pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong.

Tam Yiu-chung is a former member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and former chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

Tam Yiu-chung was the founding vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong formed in 1992 and its party chairman from 2007 to 2015.

Tam Yiu-chung was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in New Territories West from 1998 until his retirement in 2016.

Tam Yiu-chung was born in a Hakka family of Huiyang ancestry in Hong Kong on 15 December 1949.

Tam Yiu-chung later rose to be the union's vice-chairman in 1975 and become one of the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the largest pro-Communist trade union in Hong Kong, with Cheng Yiu-tong in 1982.

Tam Yiu-chung was appointed chairman of the Elderly Commission from 1997 to 2005.

Tam Yiu-chung was re-elected to become the vice-chairman for the second time.

Tam Yiu-chung received Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest award in the Hong Kong medal system, by the government on 1 July 2016.

Tam Yiu-chung did not seek for re-election in the 2016 Legislative Council election along with three other party seniors Tsang Yok-sing, Ip Kwok-him and Chan Kam-lam.

Tam Yiu-chung had been a Hong Kong deputy to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since 2003.

Tam Yiu-chung urged Hong Kong to urgently implement Article 23 of the Basic Law to criminalise a series of acts including sedition, treason and subversion.

Tam Yiu-chung asked if it was still appropriate for Tai to keep his job at HKU.

In October 2020, Tam Yiu-chung said that discussions about Hong Kong independence should not be allowed in schools, and claimed it would violate the National Security Law.

In November 2020, Tam Yiu-chung warned that pro-democracy lawmakers in the Legislative Council who were using filibustering techniques may be disqualified from their positions.

In February 2021, Tam Yiu-chung wrote that Hong Kong's political system needed reforming, and that the NPCSC was responsible for resolving issues that the Hong Kong could not fix by itself.

In March 2021, Tam Yiu-chung led the "Sign For HK 2021 campaign," which claimed to have collected 2.38 million signatures from those in Hong Kong in support of changes to only allow "patriots" to serve in the government.

Also in March 2021, Tam Yiu-chung suggested that pan-democrats could only blame themselves for the enacting of laws to ensure only "patriots" serve in the government.

Tam Yiu-chung later said that he saw no issues with the private party, and instead blamed the crew of Cathay Pacific, as well as Frank Chan Fan for allowing aircrew to quarantine at home.

Tam Yiu-chung defended one guest, Caspar Tsui, and said that it was Tsui's job to meet with people from various sectors.

Tam Yiu-chung tested positive for COVID-19 on 30 June 2022, and was unable to attend July 1 celebrations with CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.

In July 2022, Tam Yiu-chung said that pro-democracy figures should not cut ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

In November 2022, Tam Yiu-chung said he would not run for the next NPCSC election, and that he was proud of his previous work on the national security law, as well as electoral reforms.

In November 2022, Tam Yiu-chung said that if Hong Kong courts allow Jimmy Lai to use a UK-based lawyer, the NPCSC would need to step in to block the use of foreign lawyers and clear any misunderstandings about the national security law; Tam Yiu-chung denied that he was influencing the court's decision.

In January 2023, after the NPCSC ruled that the Chief Executive could ban foreign lawyers, Tam Yiu-chung said that changing Hong Kong law to align it with the national security law would have no impact on the legal system, and would only bring benefits.

In December 2022, Tam Yiu-chung said that defendants charged under the national security law could have their trials in mainland China if they cannot find a lawyer in Hong Kong.

Tam Yiu-chung studied Adult Education at Australian National University and Trade Union Studies at the London Metropolitan University.

Tam Yiu-chung's sons are Australian citizens and hold Australian passports.