Politics

Hong Kong lawmakers have said they gained new insights on how best to assist the government in creating the city’s first five-year plan following an unprecedented study trip to Beijing that wrapped up on Saturday.Upon returning to Hong Kong, Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king shared key takeaways from the week-long trip, highlighting a delegation meeting with Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, at the Great Hall of the People.She added that lawmakers would draw on the experience to strengthen Legco’s research role and formulate proposals that reflected the broad interests of different parties and businesses.“Director Xia encouraged us to fully play our role in the Legislative Council under this new era to promote good governance, strengthen Hong ...

A senior Hong Kong finance official has hit back at criticism of the city’s prospects as “bias against China”, following a recent commentary by a prominent American economist who asserted that “the Hong Kong of old is over”.The government’s rebuttal did not directly name any specific critic but was published after Stephen Roach wrote an opinion article saying Hong Kong had become a mainland Chinese city.“Some critics appear to be driven by bias against China rather than objective analysis. Their criticism is neither backed by evidence nor aligned with facts,” Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun wrote in a commentary published by a local newspaper on Wednesday.“On the contrary, investors and talent have full confidence in Hong Kong, drawn by our global connectivity and internati...

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has indicated that a by-election to fill the legislative seat vacated by William Wong Kam-fai is a lower priority than preparing for three major polls over the next 18 months.Wong resigned from the Legislative Council earlier this month following his arrest over an alleged drink-driving and hit-and-run incident.Weighing in on the issue for the first time nearly a month after the disgraced lawmaker’s resignation, the chief executive stressed on Tuesday that electoral authorities must weigh the “necessity of a poll” against manpower and logistics constraints.Lee’s comments provide the clearest signal yet from the government that the vote will not proceed, after Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa cited time constraints and con...

Hong Kong authorities should revamp their public inquiry hotline to better handle residents’ complaints by learning from Beijing’s model, lawmakers have told the chief executive at the first “rules-free and warm-hearted” closed-door dialogue session.While the current Legislative Council term marks the first since the 1997 handover not to hold any formal question and answer session with a city leader before the first summer recess, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasised that the new form of dialogue would not replace established communication channels.Sixty-seven lawmakers took part in the 1½-hour, closed-door meeting at Legco on Tuesday, with 15 of them speaking to Lee.Topics covered at the meeting included lawmakers’ takeaways from their unprecedented week-long national affairs study...

Nearly three decades after its return to Chinese sovereignty, Hong Kong is once again at an important crossroads. The recent decision by the United States not to renew “The President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization” has once again focused international attention on the city’s future. For some, it represents another chapter in the geopolitical competition between Washington and Beijing. For Hong Kong, however, it should also serve as a reminder that its future cannot be defined solely by how others perceive it.As Hong Kong approaches the 30th anniversary of its return to China next year, it has an opportunity to redefine its place in a world undergoing profound transformation.The rise of China, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), shifting patterns of globalis...

Eighty per cent of success is showing up, as they say. So, all but one of Hong Kong’s 89 legislators joining a week-long “national affairs study visit” to Beijing made a good impression.Lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau-pei called it a “groundbreaking opportunity” for legislators to study and deepen their understanding of national conditions. Showing up eager to learn and to better grasp how Hong Kong can play a more proactive role in national development is indeed commendable.The legislature had worked overtime to review the bill for the Huanggang Port and legislators committed their first week of summer recess to the study tour. It’s interesting that the delegation was referred to in one news report as “a class”. The group photos, complete with a banner in the front, resemble those of schoolchild...

Former Hong Kong opposition leader Wu Chi-wai has appealed against the UK government’s decision to grant him only seven days’ temporary admission, requiring him to leave the country by Wednesday, the South China Morning Post has learned.A source said on Monday that Wu had written to the British Home Office asking it to reconsider the decision and could potentially seek a judicial review if the appeal is rejected.“A letter has been sent to the Home Office telling them they have made a mistake and asking them to reconsider [the decision],” the source added.“Where there are good grounds for thinking that the Home Office has got the law wrong, it is possible to bring a judicial review. But that is a very cumbersome and expensive process. So that is something of last resort.”Wu, the former chai...

Hong Kong’s first-time lawmakers have raised fewer questions than their veteran counterparts but recorded a higher attendance rate, a South China Morning Post check has found.Alan Chan Chung-yee, who is also the chief operating officer of Miramar Group, and athlete turned legislator Vivian Kong Man-wai were among those who submitted the fewest questions to the government.Political observers attributed the trend to newcomers seeking to balance respect for the executive-led system with their role in providing checks and balances.The eighth Legislative Council – which began its term in January – held its final general meeting last week before its summer recess, with members currently in Beijing for an unprecedented week-long study trip ending on Saturday.Latest Legco figures show that lawmake...

Hong Kong authorities are set to roll out sweeping reforms following the conclusion of the investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades, including criminalising bid-rigging and overhauling fire safety and property management laws.Political observers also expected senior officials, including ministers, to take accountability for the blaze once the committee submits its report, which sources said would be delayed by a month to late October due to the extra time needed to review documents.The inferno, which engulfed seven of the eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26 last year, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.A focus of the inquiry was the alleged bid-rigging in the HK$336 million (US$43 million) maintenance project that was under way when th...

Hong Kong’s lawmakers have embarked on an unprecedented week-long study visit to Beijing, with the Legislative Council’s president saying the trip would help their work of ensuring the city better aligns with national development.Starry Lee Wai-king on Sunday highlighted the significance of the trip, which marks the first time the entire legislature has travelled to the capital for such a “national affairs study visit”.“It is a good time for lawmakers to gain a first-hand understanding of the country’s latest conditions and policies, visit different authorities and organisations and conduct field research,” the Legco president said at the airport before the lawmakers departed.She added that Legco members were expected to visit the central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and...