Pushing out non-Americans at exclusive Hong Kong club smacks of discrimination, tycoon Allan Zeman says

An abrupt policy change by Hong Kong’s exclusive American Club to require non-US members to pay as much as HK$1.5 million (US$192,139) to retain membership or else leave smacks of discrimination amid geopolitical tensions between the West and China, a government adviser has said.

Business magnate Allan Zeman, a member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers and chairman of the Lan Kwai Fong Group, said on Wednesday that the 100-year-old private club’s new policy targeting non-Americans did not look good.

“It doesn’t send a good message to the world because we’re in the midst of a geopolitical situation as well … You know, America is not China’s best friend,” he told the Post.

“They’re making a lot of people unhappy and it does seem a bit discriminatory.”

Zeman spoke out after club president Christopher Burgess announced in a letter to members, dated May 31, the new policy requiring non-American individual debenture holders to top up their membership by up to HK$1.5 million or leave the club.

A non-US member, who asked not to be named, said many of those affected were very angry and unhappy about the policy.