Politics

Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers will discuss a government motion to strengthen support for affected Wang Fuk Court fire residents at their first chamber meeting next Wednesday, but will skip a regular question session for officials.The Legislative Council chamber meeting for legislators, who assumed their posts on January 1, will also debate a lawmaker’s motion that calls for a review of the city’s building maintenance system and a crackdown on bid rigging in renovation projects.Legco announced the agenda in the late hours of Friday, saying the first chamber would hear the government motion titled “support and rebuilding work after the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po” by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will also give an opening speech at the chamber ...

Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council president has formed a group of lawmakers to act as coordinators in a bid to make the body more efficient and effective.Legco president Starry Lee Wai-king said on Monday that the 12-member group would have fellow lawmakers Ronick Chan Chun-ying, who represents the finance sector, and Stanley Ng Chau-pei of the Federation of Trade Unions as its “chief coordinators”.In a Facebook post, Lee said she met fellow legislators on Monday morning and briefed them on her decision to set up the “coordination mechanism”.“This is one of the new arrangements I have implemented as the new president and I hope it will make the work of Legco more efficient and effective,” Lee wrote.She said the mechanism aimed to “assist members in more effectively coordinating and handl...

A top Hong Kong official has condemned attempts by external forces and “anti-China absconders” to “smear” the government ahead of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s mitigation hearing, saying the former media boss’ conviction showed that any plots to undermine national security will fail.Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Saturday that such smear campaigns during Lai’s national security trial were proof that Hong Kong still faced risks that could not be taken lightly.“Lai’s conviction showed that any intent to damage the safety, unity and prosperity of the nation will not achieve its aims, will not succeed, and will not hamper the nation’s way to strength and national rejuvenation,” Tsang said.Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid, was found gui...

If Hong Kong’s Transport Department couldn’t see that road signs needed to be at eye level when it opened the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass, it makes sense that it couldn’t anticipate the increased demand for test-free driving licences with the launch of the southbound travel scheme.Under the scheme, drivers of Guangdong vehicles can enter via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to either park at a designated car park – transferring to the airport for a flight or to local transport into Hong Kong – or drive straight into the urban areas. Quotas have been set to ensure enough parking and prevent the swamping of our already congested roads.Applicants have to go through a complex process to satisfy the requirements of mainland and Hong Kong departments, which include vehicle ...

Hong Kong political heavyweights and former leaders gathered on Friday to pay tribute to the late ex-commerce minister Gregory So Kam-leung, as family and friends honoured his devotion to public service.Among those who attended the memorial service for So, who died on December 13, were former chief executives Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Leung Chun-ying, along with senior government officials and veteran politicians.“We mourn the loss of a dear husband, loving father and grandfather, trusted friend and colleague, and respected community leader,” said former director of audit David Sun Tak-kei, who referred to So as “a good brother” in his eulogy.Sun said So touched those who knew him by living a life faithful to God, devoted to his family, true to himself, and fair to his colleagues and frien...

The Northern Metropolis is in the news almost every day. The big policy focus for the administration, it is determining a new future for Hong Kong. Part of the New Territories, which were dubbed “a land between” in the 1980s, the area was once little more than a rural leftover between urban Hong Kong and the mainland, where Shenzhen’s paddy fields could be seen from a Lok Ma Chau hill.China’s opening-up policies saw Deng Xiaoping promoting Shenzhen in the 1990s. Suddenly, a world-class, high-rise economic miracle existed to the north of Hong Kong. We planners argued that the context for the planning of the northern New Territories should recognise this change, but successive administrations did not make this conceptual leap.Instead, we had the disjointed development of several “new towns”,...

New and younger faces who will fill nearly half of the 90 seats following Hong Kong’s second “patriots-only” Legislative Council election now face the immediate task of tackling the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po inferno, including the policy gaps it exposed and implementing systemic reforms.Sunday’s poll yielded a 31.9 per cent turnout rate that marked an increase from the record low figure of 30.2 per cent in the 2021 election, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu declaring the outcome to hold profound significance as Hong Kong sought to recover from the blaze that killed at least 159 people.“[The poll] demonstrates electors’ support for the government’s commitment to recovery and reform following the tragedy and for electing capable and committed Legco members to drive institutional re...

Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) minister has cancelled a trip to the United States following a “dynamic assessment” by the government, just four hours after it announced his three-day itinerary for the visit.In a statement issued at 4.20pm on Tuesday, the government said that Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong had cancelled his visit to the US, without explaining the reason behind the decision.An insider told the Post that Sun had not yet boarded the flight to the US.The cancellation came amid rising geopolitical tensions after the US invaded Venezuela and abducted its president and first lady, sparking international condemnation from some countries, including China. The US insisted its actions were legally justified.Sun’s bureau subsequently told th...

Two candidates vying to become the next president of Hong Kong’s legislature are locked in a tight race as major political parties have given their members a free vote.The newly sworn-in members of the Legislative Council will on Thursday elect either Starry Lee Wai-king of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) or finance sector representative Ronick Chan Chun-ying through a secret ballot.Before voting begins, both candidates will present their election platforms and answer questions from fellow lawmakers at a special forum. The ballot will take place immediately afterwards.Although neither Lee nor Chan has publicly campaigned – neither has posted any material related to the contest on social media – insiders told the Post the outcome was expected to be...

Veteran Hong Kong lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king has been elected president of the Legislative Council, defeating Ronick Chan Chun-ying by a five-vote margin in the first-ever race between two pro-government contenders for the post.Lee received 47 votes and Chan 42.One member of the 90-seat legislature was absent from the vote. Election committee representative Simon Hoey Lee was not spotted in the chamber.Lee succeeds Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, who stepped down after choosing not to seek re-election in last month’s Legco poll.Lawmakers voted by secret ballot following a two-hour election forum on Thursday morning, during which both candidates took questions from 21 fellow legislators.Starry Lee has received 47 votes. Photo: Karma LoAsked by lawmaker Kenneth Fok Kai-kong about ensuring impartia...