Politics

Beijing has pledged to support Hong Kong in better integrating into and serving national development in the latest five-year blueprint while backing the city to become a high-end talent hub and enhance its law-based governance.The fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, which concluded last Thursday, focused on formulating China’s 15th five-year plan that will guide the country’s development from 2026 to 2030.In the full national development blueprint released on Tuesday, the central government pledged its support for Hong Kong and Macau’s “long-term prosperity and stability”.Beijing said it would adhere to the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” and the city having a high degree of autonomy.It said it would implement the “patriot...

Hong Kong’s leader has called on the public and private sectors to encourage employees to vote in the coming Legislative Council election, describing it as their social responsibility.At a ceremony to launch the election process on Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged both public institutions and businesses to encourage employees to take part in the poll, emphasising that voting was both a right and a civic duty.“I strongly urge all sectors of society, including various institutions, businesses, organisations and groups, to fulfil their social responsibility by encouraging employees to vote on polling day, and offering them support where feasible,” Lee said.“Civil servants as part of the government should lead by example, vote and demonstrate their support for governance, and b...

Hong Kong will identify its strategic positioning within the national development blueprint and proactively align with the country’s next five-year plan, the city’s leader has said.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that recommendations adopted at the fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee – where the country’s political leadership deliberated on the 15th five-year plan – were of great significance and impact to Hong Kong.“Hong Kong will identify and focus on its advantageous positioning in the country’s development blueprint, proactively align with the chapters on Hong Kong and Macau in the 15th five-year plan, seize the significant opportunities brought about by the country’s development, and leverage its own unique advantages in national development,” he...

Hong Kong authorities have strongly condemned the “untruthful remarks, slanders and smears” in the UK’s monitoring report on the city, which claimed that national security legislation had diminished the city’s political autonomy.British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, in her report, also said it was “hardly surprising” that hundreds of thousands of people had left the city to places where “freedoms are better protected” as she reiterated London’s commitment to the British National (Overseas), or BN(O), visa scheme, which allowed Hong Kong residents to settle in the UK.In a statement published early on Friday morning, a Hong Kong government spokesman said the UK was not entitled to interfere with the city’s affairs, which were part of China’s internal affairs.He added that the UK continued...

Beijing has called for vigilance against any attempts to jeopardise Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council election, warning that local law enforcement agencies will not “sit back and do nothing” in the face of such efforts.The central government’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and its national security arm in the city vowed to crack down on any disruptions to the election in separate warnings on Friday.The comments coincided with the start of the two-week nomination period for the December 7 poll, with two of the city’s largest political groups starting their promotional efforts and their leaders saying they were ready for the electoral challenge.The Registration and Electoral Office said it had received 23 nomination forms for the poll – 15 from geographical constituencies, four fro...

Veteran Hong Kong lawmaker and senior government adviser Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has announced she will not seek another term in the coming Legislative Council election, bringing to a close her 17-year stint in the legislature.The 75-year-old chairwoman of the New People’s Party, who has served in Legco since 2008, is not on the eight-person aspirant list announced by her party on Saturday.“After 17 years in the legislature, I think it is time for me to pass the torch to young people,” she said.Ip stressed that she was not retiring.“I still have many platforms to work on,” she said, pledging to continue her work with the the government’s key decision-making Executive Council and her think tank, while promoting people-to-people diplomacy, advancing policy research, and helping mainland compan...

Beijing’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong has slammed US politicians for “exonerating and glorifying” jailed former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying who is facing national security charges, urging them to stop interfering in the city and China’s affairs.The Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong issued a statement on Saturday, expressing its strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the US politicians who signed a letter to US President Donald Trump supporting Lai.“Relevant US politicians have exonerated Jimmy Lai, shielded and glorified him, and interfered with the Special Administrative Region’s judiciary, seriously violating the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations of non-interference in internal affairs,” it said.“This ...

A new accountability system for senior civil servants is targeted at strengthening the fitness of government departments and raising public trust in authorities, Hong Kong’s leader has said.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told a radio programme on Saturday the measure would push department heads to consistently look for areas for improvement, likening the practice to regular exercise.In his annual policy blueprint on Wednesday, Lee introduced the “Heads of Department Accountability System”, which would penalise underperforming senior civil servants and address internal deficiencies.“My second goal for pushing this measure is that I want to push the heads of departments to strengthen their entire department on a day-to-day basis,” he said.“It is like having one person who regularly exercis...

The head of Hong Kong’s logistics department, embroiled in a water procurement scandal, has started his pre-retirement leave.According to the latest government gazette, Carlson Chan Ka-shun ceased to be the director of the Government Logistics Department on Friday as he began his pre-retirement leave.His former deputy, Avia Lai Wong Shuk-han, was appointed as the acting director of the department.Asked whether the leave was part of disciplinary action taken against the official, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu, who oversees the department, said Chan’s retirement was simply a “normal arrangement”.He added the government was addressing the scandal from three aspects: the department’s remedial efforts, the Audit Commission’s investigation and a task ...