9 h. ago Chiikawa fans brave Hong Kong summer swelter for ‘preheat’ event before show

Hong Kong fans of the popular Japanese manga series Chiikawa braved the sweltering sun to take pictures of art installations featuring popular characters on Saturday and snapped up tickets online for a coming exhibition, with some saying the event will keep them in the city over the summer. Dozens of people queued up near the Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui on Saturday morning for a “preheat celebration” ahead of the official exhibition opening next month, featuring the three most recognisable...

Politics

43 h. ago Hong Kong ‘tourism hotspots’ show promise, now to ensure visitors come and stay

In this two-part series we take a look at Hong Kong’s efforts to boost its tourism industry. Part one examines the government’s moves to reinvent tourism with nine hotspot attractions and whether they will make a difference. Tourist Jessie Wu was enthralled and swept up in nostalgia as she made her way through an exhibition that transported her to Hong Kong’s past. Featuring a canopy of criss-crossing electricity cables, the visitor from mainland China paused at a shop that was both a hair salon...

Politics

43 h. ago China’s Security Law Has Stifled Hong Kong’s Voice, But Not Its Spirit

China’s Security Law Has Stifled Hong Kong’s Voice, But Not Its Spirit  Bloomberg.com

Events

4 d. ago Beijing slams US official, EU body for attack on Hong Kong national security law

Beijing has hit out at a United States official and the European Union’s diplomatic wing for attacking Hong Kong’s national security legislation, criticising their “hypocrisy” and “malicious intention” of containing China by going after the city. The statement from China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong on Tuesday was in response to remarks by Jim Risch, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the European External Action Service. Risch said that Hong Kong had become...

Events

4 d. ago ‘I’d rather be an arduous reformer than complacent idler’: Hong Kong’s John Lee

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong marks the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty on Tuesday. The day’s events start with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and a reception at the nearby Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will...

Politics

4 d. ago Hongkongers, visitors enjoy discounts, freebies as city marks July 1 anniversary

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong marks the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty on Tuesday. The day’s events started with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and a reception at the nearby Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu...

Politics

4 d. ago Hongkongers, visitors enjoy discounts, freebies as city marks July 1 anniversary – as it happened

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong marked the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty on Tuesday. The day’s events started with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and a reception at the nearby Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu...

Politics

5 d. ago China Releases Updated Guidance on the Application for Security Assessment of Cross

China Releases Updated Guidance on the Application for Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfers  The National Law Review

Events

5 d. ago HKSAR Government civil servants attend thematic seminar on Hong Kong National Security Law in Beijing (with photo)

HKSAR Government civil servants attend thematic seminar on Hong Kong National Security Law in Beijing (with photo)  info.gov.hk

Politics

5 d. ago Beijing’s national security chief in Hong Kong warns of lingering ‘danger’

Beijing’s national security chief in Hong Kong has called for vigilance against “danger and chaos” lurking even in times of peace and stability, while pledging to work with the local government to crack down on such threats. The remarks by Dong Jingwei, the head of Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, were delivered after a flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning to mark the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the national security law. Chief Secretary Eric...

Events

6 d. ago Thousands flock to Chiikawa gift set giveaway in Hong Kong ahead of exhibition

Thousands of Hong Kong fans of the hugely popular Japanese anime and manga series Chiikawa lined up for a merchandise giveaway in the run-up to a summer exhibition featuring the characters that are expected to draw local and foreign visitors alike. Fans queued at Austin MTR station and other locations on Sunday afternoon to collect their free party hats and balloons, which featured either Chiikawa, Usagi or Hachiware – the three most recognisable characters from the series. Gift sets were handed...

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong Palace Museum’s Egyptian relics show ‘just the start’ of collaborations

A coming Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition displaying Egyptian relics, including a Tutankhamen statue and feline mummies, is just the beginning of plans for further collaborations and events, the custodian of the African nation’s treasures has said. Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, also told the Post that it would not rule out displaying other notable artefacts and mummies in Hong Kong. The council and the museum, located in the West Kowloon...

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong Palace Museum’s Egyptian exhibition ‘just the start’ of collaborations

A coming Hong Kong Palace Museum exhibition displaying Egyptian relics, including a Tutankhamen statue and feline mummies, is just the beginning of plans for further collaborations and events, the custodian of the African nation’s treasures has said. Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, also told the Post that it would not rule out displaying other notable artefacts and mummies in Hong Kong. The council and the museum, located in the West Kowloon...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong should look to Africa, South America for new markets: trade body head

Hong Kong should develop new markets in Africa and South America as it faces obstacles in its traditional ones in Europe and North America, the head of the city’s trade promotion body has said. Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang also said on Saturday that the city had to increase the size of its exhibition venues, noting that a “lack of space” was Hong Kong’s biggest disadvantage compared with different regions. Ma said that he expected Hong Kong’s exports in the second half...

Politics

9 d. ago Outgoing US envoy says little chance to meet Hong Kong officials during term

America’s outgoing top diplomat in Hong Kong has said he had little opportunity to meet local officials during his tenure, while also noting that the implementation of the national security law five years ago remains a source of friction. Speaking at an American Independence Day event on Thursday, United States Consul General Gregory May also confirmed an earlier report from the Post that he would soon depart Hong Kong to take on a senior role in the country’s embassy in Beijing. May, who was...

Politics

9 d. ago Former Hong Kong protester challenges travel ban in bid to study law

A former Hong Kong protester has lodged a judicial challenge against prison authorities’ decision to bar him from studying law in the United Kingdom on national security grounds, even after he completed his prison sentence for offences committed during the 2019 anti-government unrest. To Kai-wa on Wednesday sought a judicial review after the Correctional Services Department forbade him from leaving Hong Kong during his post-release supervision by citing his failure to “demonstrate sincere...

Events

9 d. ago What’s next after 5 years of national security law in Hong Kong?

In this first of a two-part series, we look at the workings of the law and how ‘soft resistance’ signals a next phase, and more importantly, as the focus shifts squarely to the economy. A year after being arrested under Hong Kong’s domestic security law, former district councillor and theatre personality Katrina Chan Kim-kam has not been charged but feels society has already punished her. Two theatre companies she worked with dropped her. An academic institution acted on an anonymous complaint...

Events

1 week ago Japanese manga Chiikawa exhibition to be held in Hong Kong in August

An exhibition centred on the hugely popular Japanese manga series Chiikawa will be held in Hong Kong in the summer, with the event to include eight localised characters created in the form of dim sum such as har gow and siu mai as part of the city’s latest efforts to cash in on the intellectual property economy. The exhibition’s organiser, Hong Kong design studio AllRightsReserved, will sell tickets and distribute free ones for the three-week “Chiikawa Days” show in August. The show will have...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong appeal court rejects early release for first security law challenger

The first person to mount a legal challenge against Hong Kong’s domestic national security law has lost an appeal to overturn a decision barring his early release from prison. The Court of Appeal ruled in a judgment delivered on Tuesday that the Correctional Services Department was not obliged to consider granting Adam Ma Chun-man early release after he was “lawfully” sentenced to a term of imprisonment for inciting secession. The three presiding judges stressed that any sentencing reduction was...

Events

1 week ago ‘Soft resistance’ is real, still exists in Hong Kong, John Lee warns

“Soft Resistance” still definitely exists in Hong Kong, the chief executive has said, urging residents to remain vigilant as “many villains” are trying to threaten national security. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that criticism of the local government was acceptable only if it did not intend to undermine national security. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui earlier said that authorities would step up scrutiny in granting venues and funds to shows...

Events