JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon made an offhand remark Tuesday about the American banking giant’s ability to outlast China’s Communist Party, days after he made a whirlwind trip to the Chinese financial hub of Hong Kong on a government travel exemption.
“I was just in Hong Kong and I made a joke that the Communist Party is celebrating its hundredth year. So is JPMorgan. I’d make you a bet we last longer,” Mr. Dimon said, according to a video recording viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
“I can’t say that in China. They probably are listening anyway,” the 65-year-old veteran banker added while laughing.
Mr. Dimon made the comments during an event at Boston College, in response to an audience question about doing business in China. He also held forth on other sensitive issues including the political situation in Taiwan and freedoms in Hong Kong, a former British colony that has come under Beijing’s tightening grip. His remarks were earlier reported by Bloomberg.