Politics

A subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings has accused Panamanian authorities of undermining due process by making an “unnotified intrusion” at a facility storing materials related to ongoing legal proceedings.The Panama Ports Company (PPC) on Friday accused the country’s government of creating a crisis, calling the “illegal takeover” of two port facilities at the Panama Canal a failure to comply with “constitutional, contractual and international obligations”.The former operator of the Balboa and Cristobal ports issued a statement a day after Panamanian media reported that local authorities had searched one of the company’s offices. Boxes of documents were seen being taken away during the raid.In a ruling last month, the Panamanian Supreme Court declared that a law appro...

The move was announced on Saturday evening after Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said that at least nine flights have been cancelled or postponed, while the government issued a fresh warning against travel to Iran.The warning came after the United States and Israel launched major air strikes on targets across Iran on Saturday, in what appeared to be one of the most direct and expansive attacks on the country in years.“The safety of our customers and crew guides every decision we make and we are continuously monitoring the situation. Support is being provided to affected customers,” Cathay Pacific said.“We will review the situation before recommencing flights to or over the region. Customers are strongly advised to check our website at cathaypacific.com before travelling to the airport.”Passe...

Hong Kong sees itself as a modern, well-governed, global city that moves with the times. On finance, education, legal services and logistics, that self-image holds. But when considering the green transition, particularly transport electrification, the gap between rhetoric and reality is increasingly hard to ignore.Nowhere is this more evident than in electrifying the taxi fleet, where the quarter-century timeline floated bears little resemblance to what is standard practice in neighbouring Shenzhen and other mainland cities and increasingly globally.Importantly, given our fintech expertise and global financial clout, the city is positioning itself as a regional hub for green finance, using its capital market strengths to support regional low‑carbon projects.Despite these initiatives, our s...

Former governor Chris Patten once said nobody ever profited from betting against Hong Kong. Anybody wagering against its “one country, two systems” policy will undoubtedly be out of pocket.Since 1997, the policy has been the city’s lodestar. While the post-reunification settlement was repeatedly challenged, most notably during the 2019 social unrest, Hong Kong has emerged stronger. The Basic Law sustained it throughout and Beijing’s support was unwavering.With national security legislation, Hong Kong’s capitalist system and way of life are secure. Last year, its economy grew by 3.5 per cent while the number of foreign and mainland Chinese companies rose by 11 per cent to 11,070. Hong Kong is taking full advantage of the “high degree of autonomy” promised under the Basic Law. It is nothing ...

Japan’s representative to Hong Kong has said his consulate is making “steady progress” in improving ties with the city, while noting the absence of top local officials at a celebration of the emperor’s birthday amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.Jun Miura, the country’s consul general to the city, on Thursday expressed his thanks for the friendship between Japan and Hong Kong at an event marking the 66th birthday of Emperor Naruhito.“While we do not have a guest of honour per se, I consider you all to be our guests of honour,” the envoy said in a speech.Last year’s reception was attended by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who at the time praised Miura for his fluent English and celebrity-like looks.Former leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was also spotted among last y...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he “would not be surprised” if China is already looking into ways to challenge the US’ pre-eminence in digital assets, given Hong Kong's efforts to develop the industry.When testifying before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, Bessent said that there are “lots of rumours of Chinese digital assets” possibly being backed by something other than its currency yuan, such as gold, but that the US could not confirm such claims.“We don’t know that for sure,” Bessent said, answering Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis’ question about whether China is trying to use digital assets and blockchain to “build an alternative to American financial leadership”.“They have a very large sandbox in Hong Kong, and the [Hong Kong Monetary Authority] is actively travellin...

Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T), intellectual property and investment promotion departments will receive budget increases of at least 10 per cent in the coming financial year, even as the government moves to curb recurrent spending, while the environmental branch and public broadcaster face sharp cuts of 70 and 28 per cent, respectively.The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will expand its civil service workforce by 16 per cent in 2026-27 – the largest increase among all departments – even as the overall civil service headcount shrinks by 2 per cent.Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in his annual budget on Wednesday that the government’s recurrent expenditure would be cut by 2 per cent in 2026–27, even after the city’s coffers returned to surplus.However, the indivi...

After consecutive operating deficits, the operating account has returned to profit. Simultaneously, the consolidated account records a HK$2.9 billion (US$370.6 million) surplus for 2025/26, signalling stability. This turnaround is driven largely by a buoyant stock market and a stabilising property sector, reviving stamp duty revenues and investment income.This provides fiscal space for the government to put money back in Hongkongers’ pockets. Marking the first adjustment to various tax allowances since the 2016/17 financial year, this move fully shows the government’s resolve and commitment.Increasing the basic and married person’s allowances by 10 per cent helps shield the workforce from the cumulative inflation of the past decade. Additionally, doubling the ceiling of the one-off tax red...

Panama is aiming to mitigate geopolitical risks and respond to US pressure by adopting a multi-operator model for its strategic canal after nullifying the concession granted to Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison to operate two of the ports, analysts have said.Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino was reported to have vowed on Thursday that his country would “never again” grant concession contracts to run the Balboa and Cristobal terminals at each end of the Panama Canal to a single company.The country’s Supreme Court of Justice last week stripped the rights from the Panama Ports Company (PPC), a subsidiary of the conglomerate led by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s family.The PPC has managed the ports since 1997 and renewed the contract for 25 years in 2021.While Beijing slammed the court’s decis...

A district councillor who illegally parked in Hong Kong has been warned to adhere to higher standards, a minister has revealed.Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen told reporters on Saturday that the Kwai Tsing district officer had reminded Chau Kit-ying verbally and in writing to act in accordance with the public’s expectations.“We demand that each district councillor perform their duty responsibly, and speak and act prudently,” Mak said. “Their actions must fulfil the public’s expectations of the district council and its councillors.”Chau apologised after a photo showing her black car parked in a fire exit lane at Shek Foon House of Shek Lei (II) Estate went viral.Kwai Chung Media, a district-based community news platform, reported that some neighbourhood residents had...