Beijing: The first ethnic Chinese has been elected to the British parliament on the Conservative Party ticket, local media reported after the results of the British general elections were announced on Friday.
Alan Mak, 31, will represent Havant, a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England, in parliament. He is the first ethnic Chinese MP in the 800-year-old history of the British parliament.
Alan replaced incumbent David Willetts after a tough selection process involving 24 other candidates. He was born in Yorkshire and is the Cambridge-educated son of working-class Hong Kong immigrants,local media said.
"I see public service as a way of giving back to a wonderful country. My parents always taught me to do good, not just do well," he was quoted as saying.
"This is an historical moment for the Chinese community in Britain, a milestone," said Christine Lee, founder and chairperson of the British Chinese Project.
The Conservatives had five ethnic Chinese candidates, the Liberal Democrats fielded three ethnic Chinese candidates, and the Labour two.
In the 2010 general elections, there were seven ethnic Chinese candidates but none won a seat.
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