Politics

Hong Kong Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong Man-wai has declared her bid to run for the tourism constituency in the coming Legislative Council election and has applied to give up her Canadian passport, pledging to continue to “bring honour” to the city.The 31-year-old fencing star was flanked by tycoons such as Sino Group chairman Daryl Ng Win Kong and Kerry Properties chairman Kuok Khoon Hua as she submitted her nominations on Monday.Miramar Group chief operations officer Alan Chan Chung-yee and Travel Industry Council chairman Tommy Tam Kwong-shun also made appearances to show their support.Kong said she was grateful for the opportunity and the support of the tourism industry, adding that she hoped to “show the world” how great Hong Kong was.“As an athlete, I had the opportunity to repr...

There has been more intense competition for the coming Legislative Council election amid an unprecedented level of uncertainty, with neither a “blessing list” nor a “sure win” scenario for any candidate, according to a commentary posted by Beijing’s top office for the city’s affairs.The piece, reposted by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) on Monday night, marked Beijing’s latest attempt in recent weeks to stress that there were no candidates being endorsed by central authorities in the December 7 poll.The commentary, which first appeared in the pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao, said there would be “tougher” competition in the coming poll than in previous elections, with a “diverse” range of candidates providing “a real choice” for voters with higher expectations.“There is nei...

Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong has pledged to support the city’s integration into national development plans while stressing the importance of studying and applying the “spirit” of the country’s recent political leadership meeting, which will shape policymaking over the next five years.The head of the central government’s liaison office, Zhou Ji, conveyed on Saturday the guiding ideology of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and laid out the work requirements for the city. The plenary session concluded on Thursday.The meeting, which was attended by the heads of various departments of the office and representatives of other Beijing’s arms in Hong Kong, stressed that studying and implementing the spirit of the fourth plenum was “a ...

The Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong party has put forward 14 candidates for the coming Legislative Council election, while one of its lawmakers has joined a wave of legislators opting not to seek another term, bringing the total to 28.The party announced the line-up on Monday, as 41-year-old legislator Benson Luk Hon-man revealed he had no plans to run for re-election.Luk said on Monday that the decision was made after careful consideration and discussions with fellow party colleagues and his wife.“I will continue to serve with a grateful heart in my new role, connecting various sectors to promote economic, cultural, sports and tourism development, support youth upward mobility and contribute to the nation and Hong Kong,” he said.The new role he was referring to was not i...

Hong Kong should identify its “advantageous positioning” within the national development blueprint and proactively reform and adapt to changes, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said.The city leader also said the 15th five-year period from 2026 to 2030, as outlined in the national blueprint, was a “new stage” for implementing the “one country, two systems” governing principle, and “crucial” for Hong Kong to realise its transformation from stability to prosperity.Lee’s remarks on Monday follow a high-level meeting with top officials that he chaired to study the “spirit” of the fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.The fourth plenum concluded on Thursday, with its core agenda centred on formulating the country’s 15th five-year plan for guiding development during the per...

Hong Kong’s leader has arrived in South Korea for an Apec economic leaders’ meeting and has pledged to share with other attendees the city’s policies and experience in investment promotion and artificial intelligence (AI) application.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who arrived in Korea with his delegation on Wednesday afternoon, is expected to attend an Apec economic leaders’ informal dialogue in the city of Gyeongju and the Apec Business Advisory Council dialogue with Apec economic leaders on Friday.He is then expected to take part in an Apec economic leaders’ retreat on Saturday.“During the meetings, I look forward to sharing Hong Kong’s policies and experience in areas such as investment promotion and AI application with government and business leaders from other economies,” Lee said ...

Hong Kong’s security chief has warned that encouraging people not to vote or to cast blank ballots in the coming Legislative Council election may violate the city’s national security legislation, pointing to such activities already occurring online.Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also said on Thursday that there would be swift law enforcement action against such conduct and criticised fugitive activist Ted Hui Chi-fung for urging people not to vote in the December 7 election on social media.“These acts are very vicious … I hope the public will understand the facts clearly and not be misled into illegal conduct,” Tang said.He said the acts could violate national security laws and the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance but did not elaborate.Former lawmaker Hui, ba...

An executive director of leading Hong Kong property developer Henderson Land has declared his intention to run in the coming Legislative Council election, brushing aside concerns about potential conflicts of interest.Another 33 hopefuls signed up for the Legco race on Thursday, bringing the total to 109 candidates, including Augustine Wong Ho-ming, who is vying for the seat representing the real estate and construction functional constituency.Wong was accompanied by Stewart Leung Chi-kin, chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong; Adam Kwok Kai-fai, executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties; and Frank Chan Fan, former secretary for transport and housing.Leung said the association would support Wong in the constituency race. All of its members are eligible voters.L...

The Panama Canal Authority has met key industry players ahead of tendering its US$2.6 billion plan to build two new port terminals, a move that a veteran Hong Kong political analyst says could ease an intense US-China rivalry over the waterway by diversifying the ownership of its strategic assets.The consultation, announced by the authority on Monday, came as the separate multibillion-dollar sale of CK Hutchison’s existing port stakes remained stalled amid broader frictions between the United States and China.The authority said it had “launched a consultation process with representatives of the maritime industry to identify potential partners” for Corozal terminal on the Pacific side and Telfers terminal on the Atlantic side.The list of invitees to the initial working meeting included Chin...

Hong Kong authorities will take a hard line towards any disruptions to the coming Legislative Council election, the city’s leader has warned, while noting he will send out a letter urging civil servants to vote in the December poll.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also stressed that there was no “hard target” for the election turnout rate, but dodged a question on whether any government workers who did not vote would be punished.Last Friday, the central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office shared a strongly worded commentary calling for vigilance against any attempts to jeopardise the December 7 election.It also cautioned that local law enforcement agencies would not “sit back and do nothing”.In the run-up to the election, 12 lawmakers aged 70 and above have announced...