Chan Man Ping Philip, a 59-year-old businessman, was officially designated as a "politically significant person" by the Singapore state in February. Chan was born in Hong Kong but later became a naturalized Singaporean.
Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Chan had "shown susceptibility to be influenced by foreign actors" and has a "willingness to advance their interests."
The Singaporean Parliament passed the Foreign Interference Countermeasure Act (FICA) in October 2021. The law aims to prohibit foreign companies and individuals from influencing the country's political landscape.
Chan is the first person to have been designated under the FICA law.
Singaporean media have reported that Chan has been involved in several recent pro-Beijing events in recent years, which may have contributed to the decision.
In March, he was part of a group of 30 overseas Chinese that attended an annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, which is an advisory body of the Chinese government.
In 2019, during Hong Kong's widespread anti-government protests, Singaporean authorities gave a warning to Chan for arranging a public meeting opposing the demonstrations.
The meeting was held without a permit in a restaurant Chan owned in Singapore.
Chan has since resigned from his role as president at the Hong Kong Singapore Business........