10 h. ago Locals will gain from Hong Kong becoming global university hub: education chief

Local students are “beneficiaries and participants” in the process of turning Hong Kong into an international higher education hub, a government minister has said, amid concerns that they will become “victims” whose interests are being undermined. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also told lawmakers on Friday that authorities would closely monitor the need to make further adjustments to non-local student quotas. At a meeting of the Legislative Council’s education panel, lawmaker...

Politics

11 h. ago Belt and Road Summit marks a decade of deals as Hong Kong eyes new chapter of collaboration

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Co-organised by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 10th Belt and Road Summit will return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 10-11.  Bringing together over 90 speakers from 18 Belt and Road economies, this year’s two-day programme continues a ten-year run of policy dialogue, business exchange and investment matchmaking under the theme “Collaborate for...

Politics

39 h. ago Adrian Cheng exits as CTFE director, ending role in Hong Kong family empire

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong is no longer a director of New World Development parent company Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), cutting the last tie that connected the former heir apparent to one of the city’s most powerful business empires. His name is no longer listed as a director, according to the Hong Kong Companies Registry, the government body responsible for the incorporation and regulation of companies. It did not indicate when he stepped down from the post. CTFE did not respond to requests for...

Politics

44 h. ago Hong Kong preschool teachers work a median of 55 hours per week: survey

Preschool teachers work a median of 55 hours per week in Hong Kong, 12 hours more than the figure for other workers, with nearly 60 per cent wanting to quit because of exhaustion and relatively low salaries, a survey has found. The Education University of Hong Kong, which carried out the survey, called on the government to re-examine kindergarten teachers’ working conditions and welfare benefits, review a pay scale suggested by authorities to recognise the profession, and consider making it...

Politics

57 h. ago Hong Kong authorities look into complaints over new shoes procured for lifeguards

Hong Kong authorities are looking into complaints about new government-supplied shoes after a lifeguard union received more than 100 reports of discomfort or foot injuries, becoming the second procurement issue to be raised in recent weeks. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Life Guard’s Union earlier revealed that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department had previously switched from shoes provided by global sportswear company Mizuno to a new, lesser-known brand called “JWS”, despite its...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong official urges ‘heightened alertness’ among staff after water scandal

Hong Kong’s logistics chief has issued a set of guidelines to senior civil servants, urging them to “heighten their alertness” and conduct due diligence to prevent potential fraudulent acts by tenderers and contractors, following a recent drinking water procurement scandal. “In light of the recent incident on procurement of bottled drinking water for which fraud elements involving the contractor are revealed, it is of utmost importance for bureaus and departments to step up efforts to prevent...

Politics

4 d. ago Unfinished construction works at Hong Kong school trigger safety concerns

Parents sending their children to a new Hong Kong government school with unfinished construction projects expressed safety concerns on the first day of the new academic year on Monday, with the principal saying it was currently unclear when the works would be finished. Families also raised concerns about poor transport connections for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area on Anderson Road in Kwun Tong district and started running classes this month. The...

Politics

5 d. ago Macau spending scheme aims to generate 2 billion patacas in consumption

Macau will launch a HK$470 million (US$60.3 million) citywide consumption campaign on Monday, lasting three months to stimulate local spending and support small businesses during the off-peak tourist season. The scheme, which will continue until the end of November, is also intended to mark the coming 15th National Games, co-hosted for the first time by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, according to the latter’s government on Sunday. Officially titled “National Games Cohesion, Community...

Economics

7 d. ago Hong Kong reduces Silver Bond coupon ahead of expected rate cut

The Hong Kong government is lowering the guaranteed coupon rate for its 10th batch of Silver Bonds offered to the city’s senior citizens, as anticipation builds that the US Federal Reserve will commence its next cycle of interest rate cuts on September 18. Up to HK$50 billion (US$6.4 billion) of Silver Bonds will go on sale next month with a guaranteed annual coupon of 3.85 per cent, down from 4 per cent in the batch sold in September last year. Three-year bonds will go on sale from 9am on...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong can rival US, UAE as a crypto hub, Binance founder CZ says

Hong Kong has the conditions to become a major hub for virtual assets, rivalling markets like the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but the city’s regulators must act swiftly to realise its potential, according to Zhao Changpeng, founder and largest shareholder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Friday, Zhao, widely known as CZ, said the Hong Kong government had shown a “very clear attitude towards embracing Web3” and had the...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong’s biggest counterterrorism drill ‘on the right track’, John Lee says

Hong Kong is a potential target for terrorists and must maintain a high level of preparedness at all times, the chief executive has said, after the city successfully held its largest-ever counterterrorism exercise on Thursday at Kai Tak cruise terminal. The 30-minute live-streamed drill, which involved more than 500 officers and 200 members of the public, was the first large cross-departmental counterterrorism exercise since the government set up a three-tier mechanism to boost Hong Kong’s...

Events

9 d. ago New US Consul General Julie Eadeh arrives in Hong Kong after Beijing’s approval

An American official who met local opposition activists during the 2019 anti-government protests has arrived in Hong Kong after receiving Beijing’s approval for the much-watched appointment as the new US consul general for the city and Macau. Julie Eadeh was due to succeed her predecessor, Gregory May, who left Hong Kong last month to assume duties as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Beijing. A career member of the senior foreign service with the rank of minister counsellor, she...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong fund, Beijing academy team up to hunt for AI global talent

Hong Kong’s government-owned wealth fund has partnered with one of China’s leading artificial intelligence agencies to attract global talent to the city, as it strengthens its commitment to transform into a technology hub. As part of the inaugural AI Global Talents Connect initiative, the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) would collaborate with the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) to establish an “international hub for AI talent”, the two organisations said on Tuesday. The...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong fund, Beijing academy team up to hunt for global AI talent

Hong Kong’s government-owned wealth fund has partnered with one of China’s leading artificial intelligence agencies to attract global talent to the city, as it strengthens its commitment to transform into a technology hub. As part of the inaugural AI Global Talents Connect initiative, the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) would collaborate with the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) to establish an “international hub for AI talent”, the two organisations said on Tuesday. The...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong should ‘strengthen research, drive industrial upgrading’: Zhou Ji

Hong Kong should strengthen its scientific research and drive industrial upgrading with the support of the central government, Beijing’s top man in the city has said, as 15 state key laboratories were presented with plaques on Monday. Zhou Ji, director of Beijing’s liaison office, said at a presentation ceremony that the restructuring of the existing state key laboratories in Hong Kong demonstrated the central government’s strong support for the city’s technological development and its efforts...

Politics

1 week ago Water scandal another blow to public trust in Hong Kong government

It is quite unimaginable that Hong Kong continues to struggle with basic necessities such as water. However, that is the case, at least when it comes to the government. Ten years ago, opposition lawmaker Helena Wong Pik-wan found excessive levels of lead in drinking water that was later discovered to have affected 11 public housing estates, involving 29,000 households. That led to an independent, judge-led inquiry in 2016. The investigation yielded 17 recommendations, including for the water...

Politics

1 week ago No separate inquiry needed to probe Hong Kong water scandal, treasury chief says

Hong Kong’s treasury chief has dismissed calls to set up a separate commission of inquiry to investigate officials’ roles in a bottled water procurement scandal, arguing that the government’s auditors will be able to identify lapses in a “professional and independent” manner. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu, the head of a newly formed task force that is reviewing the case, on Sunday defended the adequacy of having the Audit Commission conduct its...

Politics

1 week ago ‘M’ Mark funding to stop supporting regional events: sources

A Hong Kong government review of funding for key sporting events under its “M” Mark scheme has concluded that money will be spent only on world-class and international sports and not regional events, sources have told the Post. The changes will also lead to a “one size fits all” approach being replaced by a multilayered funding structure, depending on the scale of each event. The Post reported in June that sports events chasing government support would face tighter rules, with criteria...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong to revamp sports events funding, new emphasis on ‘high economic value’

A Hong Kong government review of funding for key sporting events under its “M” Mark scheme has concluded that money should be spent only on world-class and international occasions, aimed at bringing the city an economic boost. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui on Sunday said the system would be made “more focused”, and confirmed the earlier revelation by sources that a “one size fits all” approach would be replaced by a multilayered funding structure. Review criteria...

Economics

1 week ago ‘Very disappointed’: John Lee speaks for first time on Hong Kong’s water scandal

Hong Kong’s leader has expressed deep disappointment over the Government Logistics Department’s failure to detect fraudulent documents before awarding a HK$52.9 million (US$6.78 million) contract to a bottled water supplier, urging authorities to plug loopholes in the procurement process as soon as possible. Commenting on the water supply scandal for the first time, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said the treasury minister’s response to the incident had been timely and appropriate. Lee...

Politics