Politics

The state funeral for the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, is scheduled for next Sunday, the South China Morning Post has learned.A source confirmed on Saturday that the service would take place on September 20, with details being arranged. State leaders and central government officials are expected to join the funeral committee, in line with previous practice.The SCMP reported earlier that a state funeral would be accorded to Tung to honour his legacy as a deputy national-level leader and his contributions to the “one country, two systems” governing framework.“Preparations were under way” and were being coordinated by the city government after Tung’s death on Tuesday at the age of 89, a separate source told SCMP previously.The government’s Administration Wing said on Thursday ...

Alibaba Group Holding has mourned the death of Tung Chee-hwa, who served as an independent director, saying the global perspective of Hong Kong’s first leader helped the e-commerce giant to remain rooted in the country while expanding internationally.He joined Alibaba Group’s board as an independent director in 2014 and held the position until 2022. He died on Tuesday at the age of 89.Alibaba, which owns the South China Morning Post, said on Friday that Tung’s “invaluable contributions and full support” during his tenure had played a vital role in the company’s development.“His global perspective helped Alibaba stay rooted in China while expanding globally,” it said.The company described him as a “visionary leader, steadfast patriot and also an elder of noble character, humility and kindne...

In the first of our series of previews on the five-year plan and policy address, to be announced on September 16, Natalie Wong and Matthew Cheng look at the key political issues and the city leader’s hopes for a second term.When Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu steps up to the Legislative Council podium next Wednesday, he will break from decades of political tradition.Lee’s coming policy address will summarise his four years in office while setting out what is expected to be his most ambitious and forward-looking governance agenda to date, as it will serve as an execution document to complement the city’s inaugural five-year plan to be delivered on the same day.Observers are closely watching where the two blueprints will take Hong Kong, and whether the synergy of high-level strategic pl...

Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive who oversaw the city’s 1997 return to Chinese rule, has died.According to a statement from his office issued in the early hours on Wednesday, he died on Tuesday at the age of 89, surrounded by his loved ones.It is understood that he died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital.Tung was also a vice-chairman of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.In this live blog, the South China Morning Post details how people from all walks of life remember Tung.

Beijing has recommended the largest-ever cohort of civil servants from Hong Kong for roles at United Nations agencies this year, expecting the deployments to broaden their global perspective and strengthen the city’s position as a bridge between the country and the international community.The 16 officers sent under the UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme represent 13 grades and departments, including customs, police and the anti-corruption agency.This marks a steady increase from the five officers sent in 2019, when Hong Kong joined the programme, and the 12 sent in 2023.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said previous cohorts had excelled in fields spanning anti-drug operations, climate and resource coordination, trade and transport, and intellectual property protection.“...

Hong Kong is committed to being a “trusted partner” in driving Central Asia’s emergence as a global growth engine, according to the city’s leader, who hailed the substantial outcomes achieved since his landmark mission to the region.In a virtual appearance at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference: Central Asia 2026 held in Astana on Monday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that a bank in his June delegation had since backed the Development Bank of Kazakhstan with US$785 million in financing.Kazakhstan’s national rail operator, KTZ, had also filed to list in Hong Kong, while a local family office had signed an agreement with the Central Asian country’s authorities to strengthen cooperation in sustainable energy, he said.Lee underscored that Central Asian countries – all impor...

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to improve residents’ livelihoods through long-term strategies in the city’s first five-year plan, with concrete measures to be set out in the coming policy address.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Sunday that the administration would continue to uphold its people-oriented governance philosophy, focus on residents’ needs and push Hong Kong forward.Lee will unveil Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and deliver the annual policy address on September 16. Lee said the arrangement would help the public understand how the two documents complemented each other.“Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will enhance residents’ livelihoods and well-being through long-term development strategies. Meanwhile, the policy address will annually roll out concrete improvement me...

Hong Kong is drafting its first‑ever five‑year plan, a historic blueprint to chart long‑term development. Much has been said about reforms and paradigm shifts, but far less attention has been paid to the true architects of this journey: Hong Kong’s elites. Their choices will determine whether the city reinvents itself as an innovation hub or slides into stagnation.For decades, Hong Kong’s movers and shakers maximised returns from finance, trade and real estate. But as the global economy pivots towards technology and innovation, these engines face mounting headwinds.To navigate this transition, Hong Kong requires a profound “power shift”, a systemic re‑engineering of mindsets, incentives and risk appetites across business, bureaucracy and academia.Hong Kong’s history shows that elite behavi...

Hong Kong’s leader has urged the banking sector to support financing the city’s creation of a new economic engine in innovation and technology (I&T) while expanding offshore yuan business, a key area for aligning with national strategies.Speaking at a Hong Kong Association of Banks event on Friday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called for closer partnership between the government and banking sector in four areas. They are: expanding offshore renminbi business; encouraging I&T through finance; developing commodity trading; and strengthening financial security and market integrity.“Strategic growth hinges on technological self-reliance and high-quality development. That very much includes the Northern Metropolis,” Lee told the annual Distinguished Speaker Luncheon.The Northern Met...

Retired Catholic leader Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and four other activists have lost an appeal against their convictions for failing to register their legal defence fund for those involved in the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong.The Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld a magistrate’s findings that the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund fell within the definition of a society under the Societies Ordinance and its members were required to register the group with police or ask for an exemption.The court found the registration scheme was constitutional and that it did not impose an unacceptably harsh burden on the exercise of the right to freedom of association.The three presiding judges also ruled that the fund was not a validly constituted trust but instead a vehicle for supporting th...