Politics

Hongkong Post has said it will begin accepting US-bound parcels again from Tuesday as authorities in the United States have confirmed they will not impose a tariff on such items.US President Donald Trump on Friday paused imposing a tariff on packages worth less than US$800 arriving from China, temporarily allowing small parcels to enter the country under a duty-free exemption.Under a revision to an earlier executive order signed by Trump, the tariff-free arrangement will remain until “adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue”.The United States Postal Service stopped accepting all inbound packages from mainland China and Hong Kong last Wednesday, after Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese go...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has met the finance chief and seven other senior officials to hear their plans on the economy and financial services while inspecting two special cooperation zones operated by the city and neighbouring Shenzhen.The government said on Monday that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), had hosted a discussion session in Qianhai the previous day in which Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po had introduced the administration’s work and focus this year to advance the economy.“The session lasted for nearly four hours, with in-depth discussions about how Hong Kong could further understand, respond to and embrace changes under the new circumstances, accelerate reforms to foster progress, enhance cooperation between Guangdong...

Beijing is concerned that Hong Kong may need help from mainland Chinese companies in developing large cross-border projects amid a public deficit, analysts have said, after its point man on city affairs met local officials ahead of the annual budget address.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), on Sunday heard plans on the economy and financial services from finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po and seven other senior officials while inspecting two special cooperation zones operated by the city and neighbouring Shenzhen.His visit came two weeks ahead of Chan unveiling his annual budget blueprint on February 26, with a deficit of nearly HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion) for the current financial year forecast.Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the semi-official Chinese A...

Authorities are expected to spend about HK$2.8 million (US$359,350) on renovating the new office of former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who will move from a prime commercial tower to a government building.The Office of Former Chief Executives last month confirmed that Lam’s workplace at One Pacific Place in Admiralty, where the annual rent of HK$5.67 million had sparked concerns about how taxpayers’ money was spent, would be relocated to the 23rd floor of Immigration Tower in Wan Chai when the three-year lease expired in May.In response to an inquiry by lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun on Wednesday, No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki said renovation work on Lam’s new office had started and would cost an estimated HK$2.8 million.He added the government previously spent about HK$6....

A prominent Hong Kong polling institute has suspended all self-funded research activities indefinitely in a “transformation” that may see it close down completely.The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) made the announcement on Thursday, just weeks after president and CEO Robert Chung Ting-yu was questioned by national security police as part of an investigation into whether he or his organisation had aided an absconder.“[Pori] will suspend all its self-funded research activities indefinitely,” the institute said.It added that the suspension, effective from Thursday, also covered regular tracking surveys the institute had conducted since 1992, and all of its recently introduced feature studies.Efforts would be focused on preparing and executing existing commissioned studies,...

Hong Kong’s leader has tasked his senior officials with following up on directions given by Beijing’s point man on city affairs, urging his ministers during a meeting to further cross-border cooperation through large-scale development projects.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu held the meeting on Thursday morning, two days after he returned from the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, emphasising efforts must be stepped up on the development of the Northern Metropolis and Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.Lee was out of the city when Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, met ministers as he made a three-day fact-finding trip to Shenzhen starting on Saturday.“We need to streamline procedures to better integrate the efforts of the...

Hong Kong’s ride-hailing firms are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after more than a decade of operating mostly illegally and locking horns with the taxi industry.Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan is intent on legalising ride-hailing and opening the sector to all players.A framework for regulating the platforms is expected to go before lawmakers this year and, going by the experience of other jurisdictions, Hong Kong is unlikely to limit the number of ride-hailing operators.Experts told the Post that the new regulations, aside from covering the safety and security of users, should ensure a level playing field for taxis and ride-hailing platforms, and safeguard cabbies’ livelihoods too.But the taxi sector’s opposition to the platforms was on display again this week, a...

Beijing’s top man in Hong Kong has urged mainland Chinese enterprises to continue to increase their investments in the city and actively participate in the Northern Metropolis megaproject, saying they should shoulder more responsibility with greater contributions to public welfare and innovative reforms.Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, made the call on Friday evening as he noted that 2025 marked the closing year of the national 14th five-year plan.It was a “pivotal year” for the city to accelerate its transition from governance to prosperity, he said in a speech at the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association’s spring reception, which was attended by more than 1,000 guests.“I hope that Chinese-funded enterprises will leverage Hong Kong’s un...

Friends, relatives and members of the public gathered on Saturday to mourn former opposition Hong Kong lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, who died at the age of 55 after battling stomach cancer.A memorial service was held at the Methodist International Church in Wan Chai for the career social worker. He died in January after suffering complications following a surgical operation for gastric cancer.The service’s public session started at 9am and saw dozens of people queue to pay their respects to Shiu, who represented the social work constituency at the Legislative Council between 2016 and 2020.About a dozen plain-clothes police officers were also stationed outside the church.Shiu’s photos and belongings, including his published books, accessories and a name board that used to hang in his Legco office,...

Some Hongkongers in the United States are at risk of deportation if President Donald Trump scraps the special protection extended to them by previous American leader Joe Biden.Amid Trump’s high-profile crackdown on immigration, some experts said the future of the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) programme for Hongkongers was uncertain as his administration had already revoked special protections for other groups.According to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document seen by the Post, there were 122 Hongkongers who had been issued final orders to leave the country as of last November. Their current status is not known.Responding to the Post, the city’s Security Bureau said it had completed the verification of identities and other related procedures concerning the repatriation...