Politics

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are in the shared interests of both China and the United Kingdom in a high-profile meeting during his four-day trip to Beijing.Starmer, the first British leader to visit China since 2018, confirmed after the meeting, when asked by the media, that he had mentioned the landmark national security trial of jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying with Xi.According to the state news agency Xinhua, Starmer commended Hong Kong’s role in Sino-British relations during the 80-minute meeting.“Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are in the common interests of both countries,” it quoted Starmer as saying. “The UK welcomes Hong Kong as a unique and important bridge between the UK and ...

Hundreds of Hong Kong politicians and business leaders head to Beijing on Tuesday for the nation’s annual “two sessions”, with observers expecting discussions to focus on the city’s role as an international financial centre and the Northern Metropolis megaproject.The annual session of the country’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will commence on Wednesday, followed by the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s legislature, on Thursday.The two major political gatherings are expected to deliberate and approve the full text of the 15th five-year plan, which will set the country’s development road map through 2030.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), is scheduled to meet local delegates i...

Hong Kong must bolster its role as an offshore renminbi hub and expand its bond market amid escalating tensions of the US-Israel strikes on Iran to attract global capital during turbulent times, the city’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has said.Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and president of the Legislative Council, said this was one of the proposals she planned to make at the “two sessions” as political leaders, including Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, arrived in Beijing for China’s top annual meetings.Hong Kong delegates are set to meet Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), in a closed-door session on Tuesday afternoon, a day before the annual meeting of t...

Hong Kong transport authorities will repeal a law that took effect on Sunday requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts, following strong public criticism and the revelation that the rule only covered new vehicles registered from late January.Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan announced the U-turn on Friday, conceding that the legislation had “deficiencies” as it failed to reflect the policy’s intent of requiring all passengers on public or private buses – including franchised and school services – to wear seat belts where available.“In light of the confusion over the law’s coverage, we have consulted the Department of Justice for its legal opinions and found that there are deficiencies in the legal clause requiring passengers on franchised and non-franchised buses to wear s...

Hong Kong’s top decision-making body has held 25 per cent fewer meetings in the first 3½ years of the current administration compared with the previous two governments, the South China Morning Post has found, with the group’s secretariat urging the public to focus on “outcomes of the work” rather than on the number of gatherings.The Executive Council Secretariat stopped short of commenting on the trend directly due to the principle of confidentiality, but said the government had been proactively engaging with non-official members at the early stages of policy formulation through informal briefings to make subsequent proceedings more efficient.According to official figures, the body convened 119 meetings and discussed 602 items over the first 3½ years of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s t...

Hong Kong authorities’ swift U-turn on a law requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts came about because of a lack of public consultation during policymaking and a less than thorough crafting process for the regulatory fine print, political observers have said.Failures on both fronts should serve as a wake-up call for officials and lawmakers to do much better and put themselves in the public’s shoes when formulating policies, they said.In an embarrassing about-face, authorities announced on Friday that they would repeal the law that came into force on Sunday requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts or risk a fine of up to HK$5,000 and three months in jail, following strong public criticism and the revelation that the rule only covered new vehicles registered from late January.Secreta...

People generally don’t like change. But if you have ever had to take the worst seat on a bus – lower deck, last row, middle seat – then you would have probably put on the seat belt to avoid being catapulted down the aisle should the driver slam on the brakes. And if you’re on the upper deck and the only available seats are in the front row, then again, you would buckle up, to avoid going through the window in an accident.A responsible person would wear a seat belt when sitting anywhere in the vehicle, right? Seat belts save lives, simple.Except it’s not that simple. As ridiculous as the public backlash was against new rules requiring passengers on public and private buses to wear a seat belt where available – rules that only came into effect last week but are already being suspended – some...

A new task force led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will formulate Hong Kong’s first five-year blueprint to align with the nation’s 15th five-year plan, with a political analyst saying the move signals greater government involvement in shaping the city’s development.Lee also said on Monday that he would prioritise visits to Eastern Europe and Central Asia to explore new markets for local businesses, stressing the need to “avoid putting all eggs in one basket” and mitigate risk amid geopolitical tensions.In an interview with the media, the city leader said that he would lead an interdepartmental task force to align Hong Kong’s policies with the 15th five-year plan, which would guide mainland China’s development from 2026 to 2030.For the first time, Hong Kong would devise its own five-y...

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison has launched arbitration proceedings to challenge a Panama court ruling that nullified its right to operate two ports at the country’s canal, hours after Beijing warned that the Central American nation would pay a heavy political and economic price.The conglomerate led by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s family on Wednesday said it strongly disagreed with the ruling by the country’s Supreme Court over the Panama Canal ports, which could take effect this month.It said that its subsidiary, Panama Ports Company (PPC), had taken action against it.“On February 3, 2026, PPC commenced, and will pursue vigorously, arbitration proceedings against the Republic of Panama pursuant to the applicable concession contract and the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chambe...

The head of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong has called on the city to focus on economic progress, proactively align with national development and strengthen the executive-led governance model.Office director Zhou Ji made the remarks on Wednesday at a reception to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year, highlighting Beijing’s expectations for Hong Kong in keeping with the country’s 15th five-year plan. He also urged Hongkongers to overcome adversity by embracing the “Lion Rock Spirit” and stand united.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu outlined four key priorities for the coming year in his speech at the event hosted by the office: deepening integration into national development; boosting the economy; improving residents’ livelihoods; and optimising the executive-led mechanism.Zhou, attend...