In 2023, a gruesome murder of a socialite in Hong Kong sent shockwaves to the public.
The victim was Abby Choi, who was 28 years old at the time, a mother of four children.
Her death was gruesome because the murderers not only killed her, but cut her corpse up with machinery used in industrial kitchens and cooked parts of her in a steam pot. The horrors resembled a high-profile murder case in 1999 known infamously as the ‘Hello Kitty murder’.
You should only read up on the details of these cases if you have a strong stomach. I was temporarily traumatised by the ‘Hello Kitty murder’ while reading about it in my Hong Kong trip in October 2024.
It’s almost three years to the day that Abby passed away. However, her death is worthy of note as it was more than just a deranged criminal act.
In fact, Abby’s relationships, business dealings, and potential links may have far-reaching consequences not just in Hong Kong, but in Mainland China.
You see, Abby isn’t just another woman in high society who met her bloody end because of domestic violence, jealousy, or a revenge killing. Her case seems to be the tip of the iceberg revealing corruption and high connections.
Before you proceed, I’ll make this big call.
If the Epstein emails are big in the West given the fallout on so many high-profile public figures, the Abby Choi murder case might be China’s equivalent scandal that could bring down many of China’s elites. This could further erode the government’s credibility with its people, straining the fragile system further.
Sky phoenix rising
out of mystery
Abby Choi’s Chinese name is Tin Fung, literally meaning sky phoenix. Her short life and undying legacy suits her name, as you’ll soon find out. Her background is fascinating and intriguing. Born in Hong Kong in 1994, her father is an extremely wealthy businessman living in the Hainan Island in the southern tip of China. She grew up with her mother in Hong Kong, with an unremarkable childhood.
At the age of 18, she fell pregnant to her high school friend, Alex Kwong. They married in 2012, but divorced three years later due to personality differences. Alex was a drifter without a clear direction in life, while Abby matured and found more purpose given her beauty and familial connections. They had two children, a son and a daughter. Interestingly, the children lived under the care of their father’s family after the separation.
Alex’s father was an ex-sergeant, but had a shady past. He allegedly resigned in 2005 for stalking and sexually assaulting a case victim. The police dropped the case, but this tainted him and would raise suspicion of his involvement in Abby’s murder. He and his family lived off his pension from that point. Then their life transformed when Alex married Abby.
Divorce with a twist, an
inconceivable family tie
When Abby and Alex separated, you’d expect that the two would have minimal interaction, apart from the customary exchanges during family visits.
You wouldn’t expect the arrangement that I’m about to describe.
A year after their separation, Abby married Chris Tam, whose father owned Tam Jai International, a renowned rice noodle chain with over 130 outlets in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur.
I should add that Chris and Alex were close friends going back to high school. These three knew each other for years.
Hold this thought, because things get juicier as I’ll reveal later.
From there, Abby began to appear in the fashion and media circle. She showcased fine fashion, attended charity functions, and became friends with Hong Kong celebrities. Her social media platform was filled with photos and videos, attracting many followers.
She didn’t sever ties with the Kwong family. Instead, she hired her brother in-law as her driver, while arranging for the Kwong family to live in a mansion in Kowloon that was worth around AU$15 million.
This mansion would become the catalyst that led to Abby’s murder.
A fatal property dispute
For several years, Abby, the Tam family and the Kwong family had a weird relationship that’d defy societal norms. Public figures with relationship scandals usually would mean reputation ruin and could end one’s career. But the public largely ignored this. At least until the murder and the fallout afterwards.
Abby enjoyed the limelight and won many fans on her social media platform. She was an influencer with a public presence. Meanwhile, the Tam family’s noodles outlets were a household name. As for the Kwong family, they pretty much continued to be drifters. Abby literally funded their lifestyle.
All that fell apart in February 2023.
What came between Abby and her ex-husband’s family was a dispute over the mansion that they occupied. Abby intended to sell the property, which her ex-husband’s family objected to. They feared losing their livelihood of ease, and didn’t want to let go.
They threatened Abby, but she didn’t change her mind. Therefore, they plotted to wipe her out.
On the afternoon of 21st February 2023, her ex-husband arranged to meet with Abby to pick up their children after school. Her ex-brother in-law picked her up and then drove a different route. Police found footage on traffic cameras showing that Abby struggled in the car and appeared to be in a heated argument during the journey. At some point during the journey, Alex knocked out Abby with a hammer.
They drove to a townhouse in a remote village in the New Territories. In the next few hours, Alex, his brother, and his father dismembered her body, and began cooking some of the parts. They disposed parts of it, but had to abandon the grisly task soon after. Abby’s mother reported her missing daughter, sparking a major manhunt. Police arrested the Kwong family on 24th February and they appeared in court on 27th February.
In June 2024, the court convicted Alex of theft from a previous and unrelated case in 2015. The murder trial is scheduled later this year in The High Court of Hong Kong.
The key to revealing a dark
and complex system?
So far, you may be wondering why I’m telling you about this grizzly murder case. How does it link to the corruption that I wrote about in the beginning of this article?
This is where you’ll need to be a detective and engage in some speculation and deduction.
I have to credit what I’m about to discuss to a well-known Hong Kong-based influencer, Chris Lau. He worked for a few decades in the HK entertainment industry and lived in Beijing for several years. He left Hong Kong after the 2019 civil unrest. He had widespread connections and understand deeply the workings of the Chinese government, the business world, and the media circle.
His videos cover a diverse range of topics relating to the Hong Kong/China diaspora – economics, politics, current affairs, and pop culture gossip. They are in Cantonese, so most of you won’t be able to follow what he says. However, some videos have English captions you can follow.
Abby’s life took a major turn after she married Chris Tam. However, what’s notable is that Abby’s father is a well-connected businessman in Hainan Island. Moreover, Abby’s rising fame may seem fitting as a wife of a Hong Kong business family. However, it seemed like she brought more fame and prestige to her new husband and his family, rather than the reverse.
Her arrangement with her ex-husband’s family was ludicrous by many standards. She funded their lifestyle and even the home they resided in.
If Abby didn’t have her own wealth, it’s inconceivable the Tam family would do so out of theirs!
Herein lies the question – who funded Abby’s rise? How could she suddenly have so much wealth and influence?
What many people miss about how trade works in Mainland China is that there are strict capital controls. In other words, funds can go in easier than they can come out, even if foreign capital. China has been a closed economy for a long time. Hong Kong, Macau and, to some extent, Shanghai act as special trade regions to draw in foreign trade.
Moreover, larger businesses in China must have government approval and even ownership. The government will have a stake in them. Nothing is really private when it comes to a Chinese business. And knowing how the Communist Party of China operates, this doesn’t cultivate much trust.
The key reasons for why foreign businesses invest in China is that globalisation led them there. However, it’s not an attractive place to do business. China is also deemed by many Western nations as an unfriendly jurisdiction because of the tenuous and even openly hostile relationship these countries have with it.
While capital controls apply to much of Mainland China, government officials and rich business owners know that they can circumvent this by setting up holding companies in Hong Kong. That sets up a bridge for capital to flow.
But who will facilitate the actual movement in cash?
Do you see how Abby’s marriage into the Tam family might have made this possible?
Before you accuse me of spinning sensational stories, ask yourself this – why would Abby maintain contact with the Kwong family in such a peculiar arrangement?
I’ll drop another piece of information that may help you infer there’s something going on.
The Kwong family engaged defence lawyers in the court proceedings when the police arrested them following Abby’s death.
Who did they ask to foot the bill? The Tam family.
Imagine this… someone murders your family member. You reported the crime and police arrest the alleged murderer. The suspect hires a lawyer…and asks you to foot the bill. You’d only do that if you’re plain stupid, or the suspect has something on you.
There is so much more beneath the surface that I could write a saga on it. But I think you get the idea.
This murder case may expose the nexus between the Communist Party of China, businesses that operate within, and China and Hong Kong’s ‘who’s who’. It shows the grey areas they tread, blurring public and private, the scrupulous and the scandalous.
This revelation could make those outside of China wanting to do business with it think twice.
Put this together with the recent developments that aren’t moving in China’s favour. The US has chipped away its manufacturing capabilities through the tariff wars. It also took it to a new level earlier this year by targeting China’s source of cheap oil from Venezuela and Iran.
As for Taiwan, one of the world’s most critical chip manufacturers, China might hope to put a stranglehold on that.
But my colleague, Lachlann Tierney, believes that China might be too late already. The Trump administration has started the motion to mitigate this risk.
I invite you to check out his presentation here.
I hope you enjoyed today’s article. Next week, I’ll take a break from this series to cover the latest developments in the precious metals market.
It’s been a wild month for gold, silver, and precious metals assets. Let’s look at what opportunities are available in this interesting time.
God Bless,
Brian Chu,
Gold Stock Pro and The Australian Gold Report
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