Politics

Updated declarations of interest by members of Hong Kong’s top decision-making body have revealed new business ventures and corporate board appointments for several former veteran lawmakers, while constitutional affairs chief Janice Tse Siu-wa remains the biggest landlord among ministers.The Executive Council’s annually updated declarations of interest were published on Thursday in accordance with regulations requiring all members, including senior politically appointed officials, to declare their investments, property ownership and membership of community groups.The documents shed light on the new roles taken on by several Exco members who stepped down as legislators last December.Former insurance sector lawmaker Chan Kin-por, who sits on the independent committee examining the cause of l...

A Hong Kong and Macau youth delegation trip to Beijing to pay tribute to the national flag has showcased the “fruitful results” of the two cities’ patriotic education efforts, according to the central government.A commentary published by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Tuesday also said that President Xi Jinping and the central government attached great importance to the five-day visit, during which the delegation received “vivid patriotic education” through immersive visits and experiences in the capital.“The event fully showed the fruitful results of the Hong Kong and Macau governments’ efforts to strengthen patriotic education for youth,” the office said in a commentary published under the pen name “Gang Ao Ping”.It added that both governments had thoroughly implemented the sp...

Hong Kong authorities have appointed a five-member supervisory committee to investigate the conviction of a district councillor for having sex with a 13-year-old girl 15 years ago.Yuen Long district councillor Sei Chun-hing, 39, is the first elected officeholder to face possible imprisonment for a criminal offence since Beijing’s 2021 electoral overhaul, which restricted candidates to those vetted as “patriots”.The offence is punishable by up to five years in jail..

A top official will determine where responsibility lies when a public complaint spans multiple departments under a new handling mechanism for the 1823 hotline, set to be implemented early next year.Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Monday that he would ensure a “very fair” distribution of responsibility when assigning complaints that involved more than one government department.The reform, which will take effect in the first quarter of next year, will see Cheuk make the final call on which bureau or department should handle complaints with ambiguous or overlapping responsibilities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders sent condolences from Beijing as Hong Kong bade farewell to the city’s first postcolonial leader, Tung Chee-hwa, at a sombre yet poignant state funeral on Sunday.A report by the official Xinhua News Agency praised Tung, who died on September 8 at the age of 89, as “an outstanding contributor to ‘one country, two systems’, a renowned patriot, an outstanding social activist and a close friend of” the Communist Party of China.“While Tung was critically ill, the central authorities expressed deep concern over his condition,” it said. “Xi Jinping and other central leaders instructed the [liaison office in Hong Kong] to convey best wishes and demanded all-out efforts to treat Tung.”Xinhua also reported that following Tung’s death, Xi, Premier Li...

Hong Kong’s political and business elite bade a solemn farewell to Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, at a vigil on Saturday, as Beijing leaders sent wreaths ahead of his state funeral and members of the public streamed into community centres to sign condolence books.Hundreds of wreaths lined the pavement at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, spilling into a nearby playground, while inside the hall the mood was hushed as top officials, former politicians and business chiefs filed in to pay their respects at the invitation-only vigil.The hall was decorated with white orchids and pine trees, with wreaths from Tung’s widow, Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, and their three children placed in front of the altar. She did not attend the vigil, the South China Morning Post learned....

Residents visited three community halls across Hong Kong to pay tribute to the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, bringing flowers and writing heartfelt messages in public condolence books on Friday.The arrangements came ahead of a vigil on Saturday and a state funeral on Sunday honouring Tung, who died aged 89 on September 8.“Tung’s contribution to Hong Kong is conspicuous and his death made everyone sad,” said Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja, a former member of the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who paid tribute at the Moreton Terrace Activities Centre in Causeway Bay in the morning.“He was not only our first chief executive, but also a leader in the business sector, the political sector and for all Hong Kong people.”...

This is the second part of a Factsheet series on Hong Kong’s debut five-year plan and the 2026 policy address, click here for part one. The series was produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Post’s coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will be available in the SCMP print edition on September 21. You can find it at newsstands and convenience stores. For any inquiries, contact printsupport@scmp.com.

Hong Kong’s leader has expressed renewed support for the local media industry, including strengthening its global reach and reviewing the code of practice for television to ensure it keeps abreast with the times.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu made the pledges in both the city’s first five-year plan and the policy address he unveiled on Wednesday.In the section on “Develop an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange” under the five-year plan, Lee said: “We will strengthen the global reach of the mainstream media”.And in the part discussing measures to strengthen the city’s status as an international trade centre in the policy address, Lee said: “The government will continue to assist the local media to expand their network beyond Hong Kong, telling the good stories of Ho...

Hong Kong’s leader will unveil two bold initiatives on housing and mediation in his policy address, the South China Morning Post has learned, with the government planning to boost home ownership rates among young couples and prioritise settling official commercial disputes through the city’s mediation body.The new measures, to be unveiled by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday, aimed to strengthen the city’s status as a global mediation capital while improving livelihoods, government sources said.“Hong Kong is actively building itself into a capital of mediation. Hence, authorities will prioritise including the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) as a dispute resolution option in government contracts involving international commercial matters, as well as in internati...