Politics

An executive director of leading Hong Kong property developer Henderson Land has declared his intention to run in the coming Legislative Council election, brushing aside concerns about potential conflicts of interest.Another 33 hopefuls signed up for the Legco race on Thursday, bringing the total to 109 candidates, including Augustine Wong Ho-ming, who is vying for the seat representing the real estate and construction functional constituency.Wong was accompanied by Stewart Leung Chi-kin, chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong; Adam Kwok Kai-fai, executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties; and Frank Chan Fan, former secretary for transport and housing.Leung said the association would support Wong in the constituency race. All of its members are eligible voters.L...

The Panama Canal Authority has met key industry players ahead of tendering its US$2.6 billion plan to build two new port terminals, a move that a veteran Hong Kong political analyst says could ease an intense US-China rivalry over the waterway by diversifying the ownership of its strategic assets.The consultation, announced by the authority on Monday, came as the separate multibillion-dollar sale of CK Hutchison’s existing port stakes remained stalled amid broader frictions between the United States and China.The authority said it had “launched a consultation process with representatives of the maritime industry to identify potential partners” for Corozal terminal on the Pacific side and Telfers terminal on the Atlantic side.The list of invitees to the initial working meeting included Chin...

Hong Kong authorities will take a hard line towards any disruptions to the coming Legislative Council election, the city’s leader has warned, while noting he will send out a letter urging civil servants to vote in the December poll.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also stressed that there was no “hard target” for the election turnout rate, but dodged a question on whether any government workers who did not vote would be punished.Last Friday, the central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office shared a strongly worded commentary calling for vigilance against any attempts to jeopardise the December 7 election.It also cautioned that local law enforcement agencies would not “sit back and do nothing”.In the run-up to the election, 12 lawmakers aged 70 and above have announced...

Beijing has pledged to support Hong Kong in better integrating into and serving national development in the latest five-year blueprint while backing the city to become a high-end talent hub and enhance its law-based governance.The fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, which concluded last Thursday, focused on formulating China’s 15th five-year plan that will guide the country’s development from 2026 to 2030.In the full national development blueprint released on Tuesday, the central government pledged its support for Hong Kong and Macau’s “long-term prosperity and stability”.Beijing said it would adhere to the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” and the city having a high degree of autonomy.It said it would implement the “patriot...

Hong Kong’s leader has called on the public and private sectors to encourage employees to vote in the coming Legislative Council election, describing it as their social responsibility.At a ceremony to launch the election process on Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged both public institutions and businesses to encourage employees to take part in the poll, emphasising that voting was both a right and a civic duty.“I strongly urge all sectors of society, including various institutions, businesses, organisations and groups, to fulfil their social responsibility by encouraging employees to vote on polling day, and offering them support where feasible,” Lee said.“Civil servants as part of the government should lead by example, vote and demonstrate their support for governance, and b...

Hong Kong will identify its strategic positioning within the national development blueprint and proactively align with the country’s next five-year plan, the city’s leader has said.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that recommendations adopted at the fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee – where the country’s political leadership deliberated on the 15th five-year plan – were of great significance and impact to Hong Kong.“Hong Kong will identify and focus on its advantageous positioning in the country’s development blueprint, proactively align with the chapters on Hong Kong and Macau in the 15th five-year plan, seize the significant opportunities brought about by the country’s development, and leverage its own unique advantages in national development,” he...

Hong Kong authorities have strongly condemned the “untruthful remarks, slanders and smears” in the UK’s monitoring report on the city, which claimed that national security legislation had diminished the city’s political autonomy.British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, in her report, also said it was “hardly surprising” that hundreds of thousands of people had left the city to places where “freedoms are better protected” as she reiterated London’s commitment to the British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visa scheme, which allowed Hong Kong residents to settle in the UK.In a statement published early on Friday morning, a Hong Kong government spokesman said the UK was not entitled to interfere with the city’s affairs, which were part of China’s internal affairs.He added that the UK continued...

Beijing has called for vigilance against any attempts to jeopardise Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council election, warning that local law enforcement agencies will not “sit back and do nothing” in the face of such efforts.The central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and its national security arm in the city vowed to crack down on any disruptions to the election in separate warnings on Friday.The comments coincided with the start of the two-week nomination period for the December 7 poll, with two of the city’s largest political groups starting their promotional efforts and their leaders saying they were ready for the electoral challenge.The Registration and Electoral Office said it had received 23 nomination forms for the poll – 15 from geographical constituencies, four fro...

Veteran Hong Kong lawmaker and senior government adviser Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has announced she will not seek another term in the coming Legislative Council election, bringing to a close her 17-year stint in the legislature.The 75-year-old chairwoman of the New People’s Party, who has served in Legco since 2008, is not on the eight-person aspirant list announced by her party on Saturday.“After 17 years in the legislature, I think it is time for me to pass the torch to young people,” she said.Ip stressed that she was not retiring.“I still have many platforms to work on,” she said, pledging to continue her work with the the government’s key decision-making Executive Council and her think tank, while promoting people-to-people diplomacy, advancing policy research, and helping mainland compan...

Beijing’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has slammed US politicians for “exonerating and glorifying” jailed former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying who is facing national security charges, urging them to stop interfering in the city and China’s affairs.The Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong issued a statement on Saturday, expressing its strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the US politicians who signed a letter to US President Donald Trump supporting Lai.“Relevant US politicians have exonerated Jimmy Lai, shielded and glorified him, and interfered with the Special Administrative Region’s judiciary, seriously violating the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations of non-interference in internal affairs,” it said.“This ...