Politics

Hong Kong businesses must consider national interests while pursuing commercial deals, the city’s leader has said, arguing that the two are not mutually exclusive.In an interview with the Post as he marked three years in office, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stressed the importance of local companies keeping national interests in mind while seeking profits.Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings has recently drawn the ire of Beijing over a controversial deal to sell its overseas ports to a consortium led by US investment giant BlackRock.Without commenting directly on the controversy, Lee argued in general that commercial and national interests did not have to contradict each other.“When you do business, you have the maximum freedom to pursue your own goals and foster capita...

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said he will focus on the now and “grasp the moment” in preparing Hong Kong for an unpredictable world as he addressed speculation on whether he will be seeking a second term as the city’s leader.“I think for anybody in the government, focus on what you’re doing now, as the world can be very unpredictable. Nobody predicted, when I was in my first year, that I would have this tariff war that affects everybody in this world,” Lee said in an interview with the Post to review the past three years of his five-year term as Hong Kong’s leader.“Grasp the moment. Do your best; maximise the value, I think, the chief executive has been creating for society. That is my mission. That is always my goal,” he said, declining to say if he was considering another five-ye...

Hong Kong will not destroy its “successful DNA” and jeopardise its free-port status by retaliating with counter-tariffs on the US even if geopolitical tensions with China escalate further, the city’s leader has promised.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said his administration had made “contingency plans for the worst” and would increase support for local businesses in finding “blue oceans” in new markets.In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with the Post to mark the third anniversary of his administration, Lee addressed domestic and external challenges as he likened Hong Kong’s integration with mainland China to “a river flowing into the sea”, with the city maintaining its way of life while benefiting from the closer ties.Lee has his work cut out for him, mitigating the impact of the ta...

Hong Kong’s top judge has called for newly minted senior counsels to defend the rule of law when it is under threat and ensure “unimpeded” access to the city’s courts for every individual to safeguard public trust in the legal system.Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, who spoke separately at the senior counsel admission ceremony on Saturday, urged the new silks to tackle three challenges facing the profession: the use of artificial intelligence, synergy with mainland China’s legal system and maintaining the city’s image of its rule of law.Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung laid down his expectations at the ceremony on Saturday that saw the admission of three senior counsels: Catrina Lam Ding-wan, Priscilia Lam Tsz-ying and Timothy Edward David Parker.“You are expected to speak wit...

Hong Kong officials have faced criticism over their handling of the discovery of a banned substance in the water supply of two public housing estates, as lawmakers and experts accuse the administration of being slow to respond, failing to show accountability and lacking awareness.A veteran political analyst also called the government’s response “embarrassing”, saying it undermined the city’s efforts to show improvements in public welfare before an anticipated visit by a senior Beijing official.Seven days after the case of bitumen in the water supply came to light, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Friday night listed out 10 response measures for government departments to implement. The moves include setting up an expert team to trace the source of the substance and replacing the water pi...

Hong Kong national security police have levelled a fresh charge against jailed activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, accusing him of conspiring with fugitive ex-lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung to collude with foreign forces five years ago.Police were seen strengthening security around West Kowloon Court on Friday as they awaited the arrival of 28-year-old Wong, who was escorted to court in a prison van.A charge sheet seen by the Post said Wong conspired with Law and others to instigate foreign sanctions, blockades or implement other hostile activities against Hong Kong and mainland China between July 1 and November 23 of 2020.The suspects also plotted to “seriously disrupt the formulation and implementation of laws or policies” by the central and Hong Kong governments “which was likely to cause se...

Beijing’s new liaison office chief in Hong Kong, Zhou Ji, has already distinguished himself from his predecessors just five days into the job.Breaking with tradition, Zhou made his first public appearance by carrying out community visits to Sham Shui Po and Tsing Yi, two days after being appointed as director on Friday. This was followed by an unusual reciprocal visit by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Monday, their second meeting in three days.Observers said that Zhou’s approach and the latest liaison office line-up – a new director with local government and corporate experience helped by deputies with diplomatic networks – reflected Beijing’s shifting emphasis on the city’s economic development and its gateway role for mainland Chinese firms to expand overseas.Zhou, 61, replaced Zhen...

American economist Stephen Roach has said that Hong Kong has benefited from the US-China trade war despite last year having declared the city to be “over”, even as he claimed that other aspects of the financial hub had worsened.The former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman sparked debate last year after he penned an opinion piece which argued, in part, that Hong Kong would be caught in the “crossfire” of the worsening US-China rivalry.“The word caught is the word that, if I had to write the piece again, I would probably change, because I think, ironically, Hong Kong has benefited from the crossfire between the US and China,” he told the Post in a recent interview.Despite worsening ties between the two superpowers since US President Donald Trump began levying his so-called reciprocal tariffs on C...

Hong Kong police officers have taken away at least seven people holding flowers or candles, including two schoolgirls, in Causeway Bay on the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.A source said that police had ramped up patrols in sensitive locations across the city, such as Victoria Park – where candlelight vigils to commemorate the victims of the June 4, 1989, protests in Beijing had been held over the years – in Causeway Bay and the central government’s liaison office in Sai Ying Pun, since Monday.“There are still people who we believe might use this day to do something out there. We must be on guard and monitor the situation holistically,” the source said on Wednesday.More than 100 officers were stationed outside Victoria Park and nearby areas on Wednesday, with barriers e...

Beijing’s former liaison office chief in Hong Kong, Zheng Yanxiong, has returned to the nation’s capital and is expected to take up a senior role in the country’s top legislative body, the Post has learned.Two sources familiar with the matter said Zheng, who was abruptly removed as director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong on May 31, will be appointed Executive Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee.This means he will continue to hold his rank as a full minister.One source said Zheng had arrived in Beijing as of yesterday and reported to work with the NPC.The source, who declined to be named, said Zheng’s appointment would be formally endorsed at the NPC Standing Committee’s meeting in the second half of this month.A secon...