Politics

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to improve people’s livelihoods and foster growth amid an “economic restructuring” of the city, as public consultation for his coming policy address was launched.The government said in a statment on Monday that it would hold more than 40 consultation sessions ahead of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s fourth policy address this September, while also conducting district visits to meet with members of the public and representatives from different sectors.“We are committed to developing the economy and improving people’s livelihoods to ensure our initiatives effectively respond to the needs of members of the public,” Lee said in the statement, noting that the city was undergoing an “economic restructuring”.“The government will continue to lead all sectors of so...

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong conducted its first publicly known joint operation with the city’s police to determine whether a suspected collusion case is complex to the extent that it requires mainland China to take over, the security minister has revealed.Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that no arrests had been made so far, adding it would require the central government’s approval if the case were to be handed over.His remarks were made after the government announced on Thursday night the joint operation between local police and Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security, with observers predicting that it could be the first step in an investigation into an unusually complex collusion situation that was ultimately handed over to mainla...

A joint operation by Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong and the city’s police could be the first step in an investigation into an unusually complex collusion case that is ultimately handed over to mainland Chinese authorities, observers have said.The investigation is the first publicly known cooperation between the two sides and comes just weeks after the city passed legislation supplementing the domestic national security law aimed at allowing the Beijing office to better carry out its duties.The force cited the new law in “reminders” it sent to the Post and other media outlets on Friday saying that disclosing any information related to individuals or organisations linked to the investigation could be an offence.The government announced on Thursday that six people and an organis...

Hong Kong tobacco and media tycoon Charles Ho Tsu-kwok, formerly the chairman of the Sing Tao News Corporation, has died at the age of 75.He revealed in February that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer last year.Two sources confirmed his death on Thursday, but it was unclear when he had died.Ho previously served as a standing committee member of China’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and controlled the Sing Tao News Corporation before he sold his shares in 2021.He was also known for his outspoken views on politics.The tycoon inherited the tobacco empire of his grandfather, Ho Ying-chie, who founded the Hong Kong Tobacco Company.

An exhibition commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law has opened in Hong Kong, featuring video footage and images from three major social movements, with city officials urging residents to remain vigilant against threats.At the opening ceremony of the government-organised event on Thursday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung noted that as of June 1, 326 people had been arrested under relevant national security laws, including the legislation required under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, which was enacted in March last year.According to Tang, residents should stay vigilant against four major risks, which still exist despite the stability brought by the laws, including external forces that attempt to smear and san...

Hong Kong’s police chief has pledged vigilance against lingering threats of external interference, home-grown terrorism and “soft resistance”, five years after the Beijing-imposed national security law was promulgated.Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said that while Hong Kong had returned to a state of stability in recent years, “undercurrents” remained that required the force to boost its intelligence-gathering and law enforcement efforts.“Now we are talking about how to advance from stability to prosperity … there is no room for complacency. There are still undercurrents that we have to be vigilant at all times,” he said in an interview marking the coming fifth anniversary of the law’s implementation.The legislation was promulgated on June 30, 2020, and outlaws secession, subvers...

China’s foreign ministry has said it respects Panama’s sovereignty and recognises its canal as a neutral international waterway, after the head of the strategic channel warned that the CK Hutchison ports deal could jeopardise its impartiality.Panama Canal Authority administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said in an interview published on Tuesday that the US$23 billion deal between CK Hutchison Holdings and a consortium led by BlackRock and MSC could result in a concentration of operators that would be “inconsistent with neutrality”.He also reportedly said that a request from the US government to allow its ships to pass through the canal free of charge was not feasible under the waterway’s current regulations.Responding to a question about recent reports on the matter on Wednesday, Lin Jian, the spo...

China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong on Wednesday voiced its disapproval of the United States’ “blatant support” of jailed activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, while accusing Washington of smearing police’s enforcement actions.Last Friday, Hong Kong national security police levelled a fresh charge against Joshua Wong Chi-fung, accusing him of conspiring with fugitive ex-lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung to collude with foreign forces five years ago.A US Department of State spokesman strongly condemned the move, arguing that Wong was already serving an “unjust sentence” and it could see him facing life in prison.He argued that the fresh charge showed Beijing never planned to realise promises of a “high degree of autonomy” and civil liberties for Hongkongers.“This tragic assault on Hong Kong’s f...

The recent departure of several overseas judges from Hong Kong’s top court was “only natural” as those in the first batch appointed nearly three decades ago were already aged 80 years or older, a former justice chief said on Monday.Elsie Leung Oi-sie, the first secretary for justice after Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, when the judges joined the court, also said the city should look into cultivating judicial talent locally to reduce reliance on outsiders.Leung, who previously served as a deputy director of the Basic Law Committee, also urged Hong Kong legislators to improve their standards, noting that many “political novices” of varying levels of ability had emerged following Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral overhaul.She was speaking at a legal forum in Beijing orga...

Hong Kong students looking to study at universities in the United States remain unable to secure visa appointments with the country’s local consulate, despite bookings becoming available in Beijing and elsewhere.Three education consultancies contacted by the Post said they still could not book appointment slots for their clients as of Monday morning, further fuelling confusion among students amid Washington’s sudden policy shifts in recent days.Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing partner at Britannia StudyLink, a company specialising in placements at elite schools, said that he remained unable to secure visa appointments at the US consulate in Hong Kong on Monday.But other centres he operated in Thailand and Vietnam were able to make the bookings with the respective diplomatic missions in those...