Politics

A top official will determine where responsibility lies when a public complaint spans multiple departments under a new handling mechanism for the 1823 hotline, set to be implemented early next year.Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Monday that he would ensure a “very fair” distribution of responsibility when assigning complaints that involved more than one government department.The reform, which will take effect in the first quarter of next year, will see Cheuk make the final call on which bureau or department should handle complaints with ambiguous or overlapping responsibilities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders sent condolences from Beijing as Hong Kong bade farewell to the city’s first postcolonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at a sombre yet poignant state funeral on Sunday.A report by the official Xinhua News Agency praised Tung, who died on September 8 at the age of 89, as “an outstanding contributor to ‘one country, two systems’, a renowned patriot, an outstanding social activist and a close friend of” the Communist Party of China.“While Tung was critically ill, the central authorities expressed deep concern over his condition,” it said. “Xi Jinping and other central leaders instructed the [liaison office in Hong Kong] to convey best wishes and demanded all-out efforts to treat Tung.”Xinhua also reported that following Tung’s death, Xi, Premier Li...

Hong Kong’s political and business elite bade a solemn farewell to Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, at a vigil on Saturday, as Beijing leaders sent wreaths ahead of his state funeral and members of the public streamed into community centres to sign condolence books.Hundreds of wreaths lined the pavement at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, spilling into a nearby playground, while inside the hall the mood was hushed as top officials, former politicians and business chiefs filed in to pay their respects at the invitation-only vigil.The hall was decorated with white orchids and pine trees, with wreaths from Tung’s widow, Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, and their three children placed in front of the altar. She did not attend the vigil, the South China Morning Post learned....

Residents visited three community halls across Hong Kong to pay tribute to the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, bringing flowers and writing heartfelt messages in public condolence books on Friday.The arrangements came ahead of a vigil on Saturday and a state funeral on Sunday honouring Tung, who died aged 89 on September 8.“Tung’s contribution to Hong Kong is conspicuous and his death made everyone sad,” said Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja, a former member of the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who paid tribute at the Moreton Terrace Activities Centre in Causeway Bay in the morning.“He was not only our first chief executive, but also a leader in the business sector, the political sector and for all Hong Kong people.”...

This is the second part of a Factsheet series on Hong Kong’s debut five-year plan and the 2026 policy address, click here for part one. The series was produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will be available in the SCMP print edition on September 21. You can find it at newsstands and convenience stores. For any inquiries, contact printsupport@scmp.com.

Hong Kong’s leader has expressed renewed support for the local media industry, including strengthening its global reach and reviewing the code of practice for television to ensure it keeps abreast with the times.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made the pledges in both the city’s first five-year plan and the policy address he unveiled on Wednesday.In the section on “Develop an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange” under the five-year plan, Lee said: “We will strengthen the global reach of the mainstream media”.And in the part discussing measures to strengthen the city’s status as an international trade centre in the policy address, Lee said: “The government will continue to assist the local media to expand their network beyond Hong Kong, telling the good stories of Ho...

Hong Kong’s leader will unveil two bold initiatives on housing and mediation in his policy address, the South China Morning Post has learned, with the government planning to boost home ownership rates among young couples and prioritise settling official commercial disputes through the city’s mediation body.The new measures, to be unveiled by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday, aimed to strengthen the city’s status as a global mediation capital while improving livelihoods, government sources said.“Hong Kong is actively building itself into a capital of mediation. Hence, authorities will prioritise including the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) as a dispute resolution option in government contracts involving international commercial matters, as well as in internati...

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will include both binding and aspirational targets, the city’s leader has said, stressing that the long-term blueprint does not signal a move towards a planned economy.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also revealed on Tuesday that the plan, which will be unveiled alongside his annual policy address the following day, would feature a blue cover symbolising “blue skies”, openness, progress and steadiness.“There will be indicators which are binding and indicators which are anticipatory … There are things we must do and they are binding on the government particularly,” Lee told the media ahead of the top decision-making Executive Council meeting.

Hong Kong’s inaugural five-year plan will not change the capitalist system and instead fully exploit its advantages to map the city’s long-term development, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said.In an opinion piece published in the South China Morning Post on Monday, the city leader also stressed that the blueprint, in focusing on the economy, would ultimately “enable citizens to flourish” by creating employment opportunities and upward mobility.Lee will unveil Hong Kong’s first-ever five-year plan on Wednesday, alongside his annual policy address, to map out the city’s priorities and align with the national blueprint covering the country’s development between 2026 and 2030.In the article, he sought to address concerns that introducing the five-year plan, a practice in mainland China f...

Hong Kong’s first leader Tung Chee-hwa, who died last week, has been remembered by former colleagues for his foresight in developing technology and actively engaging with mainland China to boost the city’s economic development during his tenure.Political heavyweights praised the former chief executive for being able to foresee developmental trends before others could, citing Tung’s decisions to establish Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.“He proposed developing Cyberport very early on, allocating land specifically to attract innovation and technology talent. This is exactly what we are doing now,” Tam Yiu-chung, who was a member of Hong Kong’s top decision-making body Executive Council during Tung’s tenure, told a radio show on Sunday.Tam, formerly Hong Kong’s sole de...