Anna Wu, Chairperson of Hong Kong’s Competition Commission

WASHINGTON – Building a competition bureau from the ground up requires many things, but enough capital to engage in lengthy litigation is essential, according to Hong Kong’s top competition official. Without it, “the relatively new agency’s needs possibly would be jeopardized,” Anna Wu, chairperson of Hong Kong’s Competition Commission, says in this interview, recorded at the 2018 ABA annual Antitrust Law Spring Meeting. “Business has deep pockets. They can fund litigation for many years,” Wu says.

WASHINGTON – Obtaining enough capital, conductive effective advocacy campaigns, and earning trust from the business community are foremost in the mind of Hong Kong’s top competition official.
Having secured enough cash to litigate cases as long as is necessary, gives Hong Kong’s Competition Commission “a very strategic measure of comfort,” says Anna Wu, the commission’s chairperson, in this interview, recorded at the 2018 ABA annual Spring Antitrust Meeting.
Wu is also relying on advocacy programs to develop a spirit of fair competition so that it will become “second nature” within her jurisdiction’s business community. This also helps to build partnerships with business leaders rather than antagonize them. “If a business feels aggrieved, then they will forever be challenging us,” Wu says. “I would much rather have a business working with us as partners because after all, we’re doing this for the sake of competitiveness of the economy.” by Whitney McKnight