Politics

Hong Kong has condemned the United Kingdom for undermining the city’s rule of law and meddling in local affairs after British authorities pledged to use “every opportunity” to press for the release of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was jailed for 20 years over national security offences.The government issued a strong rebuttal in the early hours of Friday, dismissing London’s comments as “misleading and irresponsible” after the UK expressed concerns over Hong Kong’s erosion of human rights in its latest six-monthly report on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984.“The government strongly urges the UK again to discern facts from fallacies, respect international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering...

Changes to Hong Kong’s implementation rules for the national security law will improve operational efficiency amid heightened geopolitical risks, experts have said, while a criminal law specialist has argued that the amendments expand authorities’ powers and that some legal privacy protections may be too technical to apply.Another legal expert and a former security minister said the amendments aimed to clearly lay out investigation procedures for searches under existing national security law powers, while an academic called the move necessary to address online threats that could involve external forces.“There are new procedures, but there are no new powers or principles,” said Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a senior counsel who sits on the key decision-making Executive Council.The government gazetted ...

Hong Kong will respond to uncertainty brought by intensifying geopolitical tensions “with openness rather than isolation”, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged at an annual forum in Hainan, calling on economies to join hands to promote free trade.Speaking at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference – regarded as a platform for high-level government dialogue – Lee said China had been committed to multilateral trade in a “turbulent world”, urging economies to unite in the face of intensifying geopolitical tensions and protectionism.“We are not fighting alone. Regional economies are joining hands to ensure we continue to be a driver of global growth and a pillar of stability,” Lee told attendees at the Global Free Trade Port Development Forum on Tuesday.“Hong Kong is committed to res...

Hong Kong authorities will be able to demand any “specified person” decrypt electronic devices during national security investigations and may punish suspects who provide wrong passwords or falsely claim to have forgotten them, the security chief has told lawmakers.Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung stressed on Tuesday that recent amendments to the national security law’s implementation rules did not create new law enforcement powers.“These amendments have only improved some procedures and how we work; there are absolutely no newly added powers,” Tang said.He and acting justice secretary Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan briefed lawmakers the day after the updated rules came into force via the government gazette.Lawmakers questioned provisions empowering police officers to request password...

Young people can opt to make self-declarations to be exempted from producing proof of address to register as electors under a new Hong Kong government drive to boost voter numbers, lawmakers have been told.A commissioner for oaths will be stationed at each Immigration Department registration of persons office, where young people replace their juvenile identity cards with adult ones upon turning 18.The initiative was outlined as officials presented the 2026 voter registration campaign at Monday’s meeting of the Legislative Council’s constitutional affairs panel.The first stage of the campaign would run from late April to early June, encouraging eligible residents to apply for new registration, the panel heard.Clement Woo Kin-man, acting secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, sai...

Hong Kong will continue its efforts to expand business opportunities in the Middle East despite recent geopolitical tensions, as the city remains a safe and stable investment hub amid global volatility, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said.Despite his optimism, Lee conceded that the conflict in the Middle East had affected Hong Kong due to a surge in fuel prices, urging suppliers to increase transparency in pricing and warning of regulatory action in cases of commercial wrongdoing.“[The advantage of] Hong Kong, as a safe place with development opportunities, would be pronounced under the current tensions in the Middle East,” Lee said ahead of an Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.Lee, whose administration has been focused on exploring Middle Eastern markets amid global geopolitical ...

In my experience, most people misunderstand the concept of “separation of powers”, and so I would not be at all surprised if most people also misunderstand the term “executive-led government”. In the case of separation of powers, the confusion usually arises from the use of the word “separation”. It connotes a meaning of absolute independence or alienation. A better word would have been “division”.The concept of separation of powers focuses on the division of power in a government and how that power is exercised to provide some measure of checks and balances, whereas the concept of executive-led government focuses on the constitutional set-up or order of government.In a way, they are two sides of the same coin. The difference between various systems of government usually relates to the deg...

Hong Kong lawmakers have said Andrew and Tristan Tate cannot be extradited to the UK or Romania – where they face prosecution – without formal requests from those governments, as the infamous influencer brothers continued their visit to the city on Monday.The legislators also rejected claims that the city had become a haven for fugitives following the suspension of extradition treaties with several Western countries, including the United Kingdom, in 2020.The controversial influencers entered Hong Kong over the weekend, sparking heated discussion online.Andrew, 39, responded on social media on Monday, dismissing calls for his extradition. “If England doesn’t extradite me soon I’ll have to fly there myself and I think the taxpayer should pay for my flight if the government wanna talk to me s...

On February 10, China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”. This is the third white paper issued by the Chinese central government on Hong Kong-related affairs since 2014.It reviews Hong Kong’s efforts in safeguarding national security, elaborates on the central government’s stance on Hong Kong’s role in maintaining national security and summarises the experience and insights gained under “one country, two systems”.The document holds significant and far-reaching importance for clarifying misconceptions, building consensus and ensuring the high-quality development of the “one country, two systems” policy with a high standard of security.First, the white paper provi...

Hong Kong authorities will set up a collaborative mechanism with the legislature to craft the city’s first five-year plan to align with national development, according to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who says the blueprint will be released by the end of this year.Lee also stressed on Tuesday that the new platform would reflect the city’s executive-led governance model, adding a public consultation on the plan would be launched in the fourth quarter before its publication.“The plan will set visions and targets for each key sector, so residents will have an idea on how Hong Kong will grow in prosperity over five years to 2030,” he said before the weekly meeting of the government’s top decision-making Executive Council.“It will turn economic development and livelihood improvement into a ...