Politics

Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor Raymond Lam Fung has cancelled two coming concerts in Japan, adding to a growing list of high-profile entertainment disruptions amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.Japanese promoter Promax Inc said on Wednesday that Lam’s “Go With The Flow in Japan” tour – originally scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre – had been postponed indefinitely.“After careful consideration and extensive discussions with all parties involved, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the performance due to unforeseen circumstances,” Promax said.The concerts were set to be the 46-year-old singer’s Japanese debut after he enjoyed a surge in fame overseas as a result of his role in the martial arts hit Twilight of the Wa...

Hong Kong lawmaker Duncan Chiu owns 54 properties at home and overseas, more than any of the other 89 lawmakers, a review of their declaration of interests shows.But Chiu indicated that he is considering selling his properties in the West, citing geopolitical risks and his limited time for managing them.Chiu, the son of the late entrepreneur Deacon Chiu, represents the technology and innovation sector.He is among the five lawmakers who have declared ownership of more than 10 properties, and one of nine with overseas holdings.The Legislative Council mandates that lawmakers declare their property interests by the first meeting of each term to ensure transparency.Following amendments that took effect this term, members must also register details such as the number, type and purpose of their l...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app.Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council is holding its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu addressed the new batch of 90 lawmakers, highlighting government priorities that included rehousing arrangements for displaced residents, reforming industry practices and holding those responsible for the tragedy accountable.Lee’s address was followed by a government motion seeking the chamber’s support for relief efforts. A lawmaker will then move another motion re...

Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers will discuss a government motion to strengthen support for affected Wang Fuk Court fire residents at their first chamber meeting next Wednesday, but will skip a regular question session for officials.The Legislative Council chamber meeting for legislators, who assumed their posts on January 1, will also debate a lawmaker’s motion that calls for a review of the city’s building maintenance system and a crackdown on bid rigging in renovation projects.Legco announced the agenda in the late hours of Friday, saying the first chamber would hear the government motion titled “support and rebuilding work after the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po” by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will also give an opening speech at the chamber ...

Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council president has formed a group of lawmakers to act as coordinators in a bid to make the body more efficient and effective.Legco president Starry Lee Wai-king said on Monday that the 12-member group would have fellow lawmakers Ronick Chan Chun-ying, who represents the finance sector, and Stanley Ng Chau-pei of the Federation of Trade Unions as its “chief coordinators”.In a Facebook post, Lee said she met fellow legislators on Monday morning and briefed them on her decision to set up the “coordination mechanism”.“This is one of the new arrangements I have implemented as the new president and I hope it will make the work of Legco more efficient and effective,” Lee wrote.She said the mechanism aimed to “assist members in more effectively coordinating and handl...

A top Hong Kong official has condemned attempts by external forces and “anti-China absconders” to “smear” the government ahead of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s mitigation hearing, saying the former media boss’ conviction showed that any plots to undermine national security will fail.Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Saturday that such smear campaigns during Lai’s national security trial were proof that Hong Kong still faced risks that could not be taken lightly.“Lai’s conviction showed that any intent to damage the safety, unity and prosperity of the nation will not achieve its aims, will not succeed, and will not hamper the nation’s way to strength and national rejuvenation,” Tsang said.Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid, was found gui...

If Hong Kong’s Transport Department couldn’t see that road signs needed to be at eye level when it opened the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass, it makes sense that it couldn’t anticipate the increased demand for test-free driving licences with the launch of the southbound travel scheme.Under the scheme, drivers of Guangdong vehicles can enter via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to either park at a designated car park – transferring to the airport for a flight or to local transport into Hong Kong – or drive straight into the urban areas. Quotas have been set to ensure enough parking and prevent the swamping of our already congested roads.Applicants have to go through a complex process to satisfy the requirements of mainland and Hong Kong departments, which include vehicle ...

Hong Kong political heavyweights and former leaders gathered on Friday to pay tribute to the late ex-commerce minister Gregory So Kam-leung, as family and friends honoured his devotion to public service.Among those who attended the memorial service for So, who died on December 13, were former chief executives Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Leung Chun-ying, along with senior government officials and veteran politicians.“We mourn the loss of a dear husband, loving father and grandfather, trusted friend and colleague, and respected community leader,” said former director of audit David Sun Tak-kei, who referred to So as “a good brother” in his eulogy.Sun said So touched those who knew him by living a life faithful to God, devoted to his family, true to himself, and fair to his colleagues and frien...

The Northern Metropolis is in the news almost every day. The big policy focus for the administration, it is determining a new future for Hong Kong. Part of the New Territories, which were dubbed “a land between” in the 1980s, the area was once little more than a rural leftover between urban Hong Kong and the mainland, where Shenzhen’s paddy fields could be seen from a Lok Ma Chau hill.China’s opening-up policies saw Deng Xiaoping promoting Shenzhen in the 1990s. Suddenly, a world-class, high-rise economic miracle existed to the north of Hong Kong. We planners argued that the context for the planning of the northern New Territories should recognise this change, but successive administrations did not make this conceptual leap.Instead, we had the disjointed development of several “new towns”,...

New and younger faces who will fill nearly half of the 90 seats following Hong Kong’s second “patriots-only” Legislative Council election now face the immediate task of tackling the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po inferno, including the policy gaps it exposed and implementing systemic reforms.Sunday’s poll yielded a 31.9 per cent turnout rate that marked an increase from the record low figure of 30.2 per cent in the 2021 election, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu declaring the outcome to hold profound significance as Hong Kong sought to recover from the blaze that killed at least 159 people.“[The poll] demonstrates electors’ support for the government’s commitment to recovery and reform following the tragedy and for electing capable and committed Legco members to drive institutional re...