16 h. ago Hong Kong contractors rated poorly by homeowners face removal after Tai Po fire

Hong Kong authorities may remove building maintenance contractors from a government-recommended list if homeowners are dissatisfied with their performance, as part of measures to combat bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po fire, the city’s No 2 official has said. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok‑ki said on Saturday that the government aimed to improve the Urban Renewal Authority’s “Smart Tender” scheme by establishing a pre‑selected list of qualified contractors. The scheme provides support to...

Events

65 h. ago Tougher building checks may add costs, slow projects, Hong Kong lawmaker says

Extra costs and the use of public resources may be incurred under the Hong Kong government’s proposed moves to increase professional scrutiny of building maintenance projects following the deadly Tai Po inferno, a lawmaker has said, calling for further discussion. Election Committee lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo, a town planner by training, said on Thursday that expanding the Urban Renewal Authority’s (URA) role in such projects might require extra time and money, urging the government and...

Politics

69 h. ago Hong Kong, Shenzhen ‘to deepen’ ties in finance and AI to build world

Hong Kong and Shenzhen can work closely to empower finance with artificial intelligence, delegates said on Thursday at the China Conference: Greater Bay Area, an event hosted by the South China Morning Post. Joseph Chan Ho-lim, undersecretary for Financial Services and the Treasury in the Hong Kong government, said Hong Kong and Shenzhen were seeking deeper cooperation between finance and technology. Chan said at the event in Qianhai, a bonded zone in Shenzhen, that Hong Kong, as a...

Politics

4 d. ago Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb dies at 60

David Webb, the corporate governance activist renowned for his free public database and his explosive “Enigma Network” exposé that rocked the Hong Kong stock exchange, has died aged 60 of metastatic prostate cancer. A notice posted on one of his social media accounts confirmed his death on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two children. “It is with great sadness that we share that David M. Webb MBE passed away peacefully in Hong Kong on Tuesday January 13, 2026 from metastatic prostate...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong government to replace Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan

Hong Kong authorities have replaced Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man, who recently apologised for her choice of attire at the funeral of the firefighter who died in the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court fire. Two government sources told the Post on Tuesday that her removal was not triggered by the episode, but had been planned “for a long period of time” after multiple internal complaints against Chan, who had served in the role for seven years. Those complaints were related to her abrasive...

Politics

7 d. ago Hong Kong slams attempts to ‘smear’ government ahead of Jimmy Lai mitigation

A top Hong Kong official has condemned attempts by external forces and “anti-China absconders” to “smear” the government ahead of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s mitigation hearing, saying the former media boss’ conviction showed that any plots to undermine national security will fail. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Saturday that such smear campaigns during Lai’s national security trial were proof that Hong Kong still faced risks that could not be taken...

Politics

8 d. ago Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

I attended a memorial service last month for victims of the Nanking massacre, held at the Hong Kong government offices in Admiralty. Such occasions are solemn reminders of history’s darkest moments, forcing us to pause and reflect on the scale of the tragedy that unfolded after the city was seized on December 13, 1937, and the broader suffering inflicted on China during World War II. Government figures estimate that military and civilian casualties exceeded 35 million, with 21 million lives...

Events

9 d. ago Hong Kong ombudsman raises concerns over repeated landslides on man

The Office of the Ombudsman has raised concerns over frequent landslides occurring at government man-made slopes in Hong Kong, highlighting that one location had four landslides in different areas within five years. In a direct investigation report released on Thursday, the office reviewed nine serious landslides that occurred since 2008. It found that most slopes with repeated landslides were either not included in a specific monitoring programme or deemed relatively low priority. In one case...

Politics

9 d. ago Drivers show up at Hong Kong licensing offices despite end of walk

Some applicants for test-free driving licences turned up at a Hong Kong government office on Thursday hoping to secure walk-in appointments, despite transport authorities having suspended the arrangement that had drawn long queues and scalpers. Following the announcement of the policy change, a Post reporter spotted three applicants attempting to book a walk-in appointment at the Transport Department’s licensing office in Admiralty. They said they were either unaware of the changes or simply...

Politics

2 w. ago Venezuela accuses US of attacks on key sites amid military build

At least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2am local time (2pm in Hong Kong) on Saturday in the capital, Caracas. Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states. The Pentagon referred requests for comment to the White House, which did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has banned US commercial flights in Venezuelan airspace over “ongoing...

Events

2 w. ago Exempt Hong Kong substitute teachers from practising certificates, principals say

School principals in Hong Kong have urged the government to exempt supply teachers from needing to obtain newly proposed practising certificates, to avoid placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of hiring such in-demand substitute teachers. Their calls came as the Education Bureau said last month that it was consulting the Department of Justice on the proposal to ensure it would maintain professional standards and meet the needs of schools. The new measure raised in the policy address would...

Politics

2 w. ago How Hong Kong can take on a more frontier role in China’s development

On December 16, Chinese President Xi Jinping, on receiving a work report from Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, said the city should proactively align with the country’s 15th five-year plan and better integrate into, and serve, the national development agenda. In recent days, discussion of the coming plan across the Hong Kong government and wider society has underscored a growing consensus behind deeper integration with the mainland. While the 14th five-year plan spoke of “maintaining”...

Politics

2 w. ago Groups welcome updated Hong Kong biodiversity plan but call for more details

Concern groups have called for a more concrete timeline and clearer details in an updated action plan for Hong Kong’s biodiversity strategy, which for the first time lists assessing the capacity of ecotourism hotspots as a priority. The government on Wednesday unveiled its updated Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which covers four strategic areas – nature conservation, deepening mainstreaming, capacity building and collaborative partnering. It lists 30 priority actions and 81...

Politics

2 w. ago Cosco executive Zhang Yong appointed deputy in Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong

Beijing has appointed Zhang Yong, a senior staff member from a state-owned shipping and logistics services group, to serve as a deputy director in the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced on Wednesday. Zhang, executive vice-president of Chinese shipping conglomerate Cosco Shipping Group and also its news spokesman, will replace Qi Bin, who was appointed last November, according to the ministry’s announcement. The liaison...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong set to unveil results, disciplinary action after bottled water probe

Hong Kong’s government is expected to announce next month the results of its investigation into a bottled water scandal that rocked the city and disciplinary action against those officials involved after confirming that the probe has been completed. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, which set up a task force to probe the scandal that emerged in August, on Tuesday said both the review of the government’s procurement system and related disciplinary investigation had been...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Let us return’: some Tai Po fire survivors petition government for on

A group of survivors of the deadly inferno in Hong Kong last month has petitioned the government to redevelop the Wang Fuk Court site as a long-term resettlement plan, as authorities review options to rehouse them. In an open letter seen by the Post, the group of displaced residents urged Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other top officials to let them rebuild their lives with dignity and hope at the same site in Tai Po. “We implore the government to rebuild housing on the site of Wang Fuk...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong sets up Hung Shui Kiu industrial park operator, sweetens land tender

Hong Kong’s government will set up a dedicated company to run a huge industrial park in Hung Shui Kiu and launch a six-month tender for a pilot area within the zone, offering incentives to encourage bids as part of an initiative to accelerate development of the Northern Metropolis. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho on Monday said the newly formed Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company is expected to be financially self-sustaining despite the government’s initial capital infusion,...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong liaison office’s Qi Bin to take up new role in Beijing on economic affairs

A senior cadre at Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong with a rich financial background is expected to be transferred back to the capital for a new role in a committee advising leadership on economic policies for the next five-year plan, the Post has learned. Qi Bin, who turned 57 last month, was appointed by the State Council in November last year to take up the post of deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong. It is understood that he will be made a deputy...

Society

2 w. ago Can Hong Kong mature as a wine hub? French vineyard owner calls for new focus

Hong Kong could enhance its standing as a wine trade hub by further improving its logistics and storage services, according to a seventh-generation French winemaker overseeing a 200-year-old Burgundy estate. Erwan Faiveley, owner of wine labels Domaine Faiveley and Billaud-Simon, also praised the Hong Kong government’s decision to axe its wine tax in 2008 during his first fact-finding trip to the city and mainland China since the Covid-19 pandemic. “The greatest thing they’ve done was cutting...

Politics

3 w. ago Back reforms and align with nation, outgoing Legco chief tells new Hong Kong lawmakers

Incoming lawmakers should prioritise helping the Hong Kong government advance policy reforms and strengthen integration with national development, the outgoing Legislative Council president has said as he prepares to step down. Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen also said on Saturday that the new lawmakers would need to assist the government in devising a prudent and pragmatic budget, set to be unveiled in February, and tackling the aftermath of the Tai Po fire that broke out on November 26 and claimed at...

Politics