Politics

The dust has settled and Hong Kong’s eighth Legislative Council is getting ready, with new lawmakers finding their way. There were quite a few surprises, looking at the results.With many new candidates and political groups vying for seats, the contest for the directly elected geographical constituencies was highly competitive. Some candidates were fielded by groups with strongholds in the trade-based functional constituencies, which are indirectly elected.That is something we should welcome. Establishing ties directly in the community will help our political groups be more in touch; it can help steer the groups’ mindsets, address their blind spots and bridge the gap between policymakers and the masses. As long as these groups continue to work on community building on the ground and put the...

A political row over former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has intensified after his guilty verdict, with the Hong Kong government condemning what it called “despicable political manipulations” and the United States seeking his release.Beijing’s top office overseeing city affairs also published a strongly worded commentary on Tuesday, criticising Lai for using “two systems” to oppose “one country” and branding him a “national criminal who will forever be nailed to the pillar of historical shame”.The clash followed Monday’s guilty verdict against the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper.Lai was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious articles in his national security trial....

Hong Kong’s incoming social welfare lawmaker has vowed to actively engage young people in policy discussions and strengthen communications with frontline workers to plug a “knowledge gap” in professional conduct.Grace Chan Man-yee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, a statutory body representing local welfare groups, also expressed confidence that there would be critical voices in the legislature although not always in front of the cameras.Chan won the social welfare seat in a race with two other candidates in the December 7 poll, bagging 2,179 of the 4,657 votes cast.She will succeed Tik Chi-yuen, the city’s sole non-pro-establishment member in the previous legislature, when she assumes office on January 1, 2026.The voter turnout rate in the social welfare sector ...

Beijing has appointed Zhang Yong, a senior staff member from a state-owned shipping and logistics service group, to serve as a deputy director in the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, the nation’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has announced.Zhang, executive vice-president of mainland Chinese shipping conglomerate Cosco Shipping Group and also its media spokesman, will replace Qi Bin, who was appointed in November last year, according to the ministry’s announcement on Wednesday.The liaison office’s website was updated on the same day, with Zhang listed as the fourth deputy director.The state-owned company has been under the spotlight since late July, when media identified it as a “major strategic investor” to be invited by Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holding...

Incoming lawmakers should prioritise helping the Hong Kong government advance policy reforms and deepen integration with national development, the outgoing Legislative Council president has said as he prepares to step down.Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen also said on Saturday that new lawmakers would need to assist the government in devising a prudent and pragmatic budget, set to be unveiled in February, as well as tackling the aftermath of the Tai Po fire that broke out on November 26 and claimed at least 161 lives.According to Leung, China’s latest five-year plan, which outlines the national development blueprint for 2026 to 2030, will serve as an “examination” set by Beijing for Hong Kong and a “golden opportunity” for the city to reach new heights of development.“As an important part of Hong Ko...

China’s top legislative body will review the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March, where Hong Kong’s role in contributing to national development is also expected to be discussed, according to the city’s sole delegate to the body.Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that the proposed agenda for the session – which includes the 15th five-year plan, as well as the government’s work report and budgets – would play a crucial role in shaping the country’s short-to-medium-term development.Lee said she was gathering opinions from the Hong Kong public before formulating proposals to submit at the session.“The focus will revolve around Hong Kong’s role in the 15th five-year plan, including furth...

Immigration authorities are following up on requests for assistance after two Hongkongers were reportedly killed in Ukraine while volunteering in the country’s war against Russia.In a reply to the Post, the Immigration Department said on Saturday that it had been following up on the requests and was providing support to the families of those involved.“Upon receiving the relevant requests for assistance, the Hong Kong Immigration Department immediately sought information from the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in Ukraine, including the identity of the people concerned, and provided appropriate advice and feasible assistance in accordance with the wishes of their families,” the department said.“The Immigration Department will continue t...

Hong Kong’s Starry Lee Wai-king has said her roles as a delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and at the Legislative Council do not conflict, but she has stopped short of revealing whether she will run for the latter’s presidency.Lee, a member of China’s top legislative body, on Sunday held off giving a definitive reply about whether she would seek election as Legco president.Details would be clearer during the presidency’s nomination period, after the newly elected lawmakers took their oaths on January 1, she said.She added that she had been considering ways to unite lawmakers, promote the legislature’s alignment with national strategies, help the administration achieve good governance and reflect public views.Her role as the city’s sole delegate to the NPC S...

A senior cadre at Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong with a rich financial background is expected to be transferred back to the capital for a new role in a committee advising leadership on economic policies for the next five-year plan, the Post has learned.Qi Bin, who turned 57 last month, was appointed by the State Council in November last year to take up the post of deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong.It is understood that he will be made a deputy director of an economic committee under the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the nation’s top political advisory body.The committee advises leadership on strategies for the nation’s 15th five-year plan. Next year will kick off the new development blueprint.Qi’s most recent public appeara...

Former Hong Kong star fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai will transition to a consultant role at the Jockey Club after she is sworn in as a tourism lawmaker, her former boss has said.The retired Olympic fencing gold medallist joined the club in August 2024 as an assistant external affairs manager, but suspended her duties last month to run for the election in the tourism sector.The 31-year-old secured 131 votes, beating Kwun Tong district councillor Ma Yat-chiu, raising questions over her role at the club.Freely Cheng Kei, the club’s head of external affairs, told the media on Sunday that Kong would shift to a new role as a consultant.“From January 1 next year, Vivian Kong will continue to be employed by the Jockey Club but will transition to the role of a consultant to promote racing tourism,” Ch...