47 h. ago Hong Kong, Elior Group in land talks for Asia’s first aircraft parts centre

City authorities are in talks with a leading French aeronautical services company about the allocation of land to develop Hong Kong into Asia’s first aircraft parts processing and trading centre, with the firm set to start training classes in two months. Daniel Derichebourg, chairman and CEO of France-based Elior Group, said the company was still in talks with the government about solutions that would work best to help Hong Kong grow as a centre for aircraft parts dismantling, recycling and...

Politics

5 d. ago Chinese EV maker Li Auto eyes global market with Hong Kong base

Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto has set up its international headquarters in Hong Kong, paving the way for its overseas expansion amid intensifying competition at home. The Hong Kong operations would serve as a strategic base for the Beijing-based carmaker to “oversee its research and development [R&D], intellectual property management and international supply chain functions”, said InvestHK, the Hong Kong government’s investment promotion arm, in a statement on Thursday. Li Auto,...

Politics

5 d. ago US ‘overstretching’ national security fears by threatening HKT, Hong Kong says

The United States is “overstretching the concept of national security” with its threat to oust HKT International from the country’s telecommunication network, Hong Kong authorities have said. Political commentators also warned on Thursday that Beijing would interpret the move as Washington using the city as a “chess piece against China”. Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority said the government “strongly disapproves of the United States’ overstretching the concept of national...

Events

7 d. ago Hong Kong lawmakers gave nod to all government funding requests in 4

The Legislative Council’s Finance Committee approved all Hong Kong government funding applications over the four-year term, with its chairman on Tuesday defending lawmakers’ role in scrutinising the 261 projects worth nearly HK$700 billion (US$89.7 billion) in total. Committee chairman Ronick Chan Chun-ying also said that some government departments had failed to provide precise data requested by lawmakers during their scrutiny of the budget, urging authorities to step up data collection and...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong Exco will not change despite veteran lawmakers stepping down: John Lee

Hong Kong’s leader has signalled that the government’s key decision-making body, the Executive Council, will not be reshuffled after half of the eight veteran lawmakers serving as his advisers said they will not run in the coming Legislative Council elections. Martin Liao Cheung-kong, 68, who has served in Legco since 2012 and was affectionately known as the “class monitor” of the pro-establishment camp, emerged on Tuesday as the latest Exco member to announce that he would not to seek another...

Politics

8 d. ago No Exco changes despite veteran Hong Kong lawmakers stepping down: John Lee

Hong Kong’s leader has signalled that the government’s key decision-making Executive Council will not be reshuffled after four veteran lawmakers, who serve as his advisers, decided not run in the coming Legislative Council election. Martin Liao Cheung-kong, 68, a lawmaker since 2012 and affectionately known as the “class monitor” of the pro-establishment camp, emerged on Tuesday as the latest Exco member to announce that he would not seek another term in the legislature. Three other veteran...

Politics

8 d. ago Yuan boost eyed as Hong Kong’s mainland China spending hits HK$5 billion

Hong Kong’s government spent more than HK$5 billion (US$642.3 million) using the city’s currency on services or purchases related to mainland China in the last financial year, according to officials. In comparison, the government only used 240 million yuan (US$33.7 million) annually to settle expenditures, in addition to payments related to its renminbi-denominated bonds. Authorities are now exploring ways to increase payments in renminbi and expand its use. “Since the amount of renminbi bonds...

Economics

9 d. ago Gaping holes in Hong Kong government oversight need to be plugged

On the surface, things may seem to be going well for the Hong Kong government. However, dig a little deeper, and things do not look so good. Two recent news items have been particularly damning. First was the discovery that two government-approved providers of mandatory basic safety courses had violated conditions and had been suspended by the Labour Department. The second was the latest ombudsman investigation that revealed care homes and facilities had failed to deliver respite services to...

Politics

9 d. ago New deputy chief of liaison office meets Hong Kong media delegation in Beijing

The new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong has made his public debut, meeting a media delegation from the city in Beijing on Sunday. Sun Shangwu, who was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison office on Saturday, met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. The delegation was received by Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), according to a...

Politics

9 d. ago Deputy director of Beijing office overseeing Hong Kong meets media delegation

Nong Rong, a deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), has met a media delegation from the city in Beijing. He was joined at the meeting on Sunday by Sun Shangwu, the new deputy chief of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who made his public debut a day after taking up the post. They met representatives from some 20 mainstream media outlets, including the South China Morning Post. Sun was appointed as a deputy director of the liaison...

Politics

1 week ago Beijing names senior editor as deputy director of liaison office in Hong Kong

Beijing has named a senior editor of the English-language China Daily newspaper as a deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, confirming an earlier Post report. The State Council announced Sun Shangwu’s new role on Saturday. A source earlier said that the new deputy director would be taking charge of publicity work. The Post had reported that Sun, 56, who had been a deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, had been chosen to improve the central government’s...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong to offer Kowloon site for tender amid focus on Northern Metropolis

The Hong Kong government will launch a single residential site in Kowloon for tender in its third financial quarter, as authorities focus on the Northern Metropolis to launch new land sales as soon as the end of this year. A plot measuring 40,902 sq ft at Choi Hing Road, Jordan Valley, will be made available via tender in the December quarter, enough to provide about 570 average-sized flats, according to the Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho. That launch would come after the...

Politics

2 w. ago SFC CEO Julia Leung to remain in office for another two years: sources

The Hong Kong government is expected to renew the contract of Julia Leung Fung-yee as the CEO of market regulator Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for another two years, according to two separate sources. Leung, a former journalist at The Asian Wall Street Journal, started her term as the first female head of the SFC in January 2023. Her current three-year term will expire at the end of this year, but sources familiar with the matter said the government would like her to serve another...

Politics

2 w. ago Borrowing boost for Hong Kong urban renewal body as another deficit recorded

The Hong Kong government has increased the Urban Renewal Authority’s borrowing limit to HK$35 billion to allow it to raise more funds to finance operations, with the body recording an annual deficit of about HK$2.7 billion, its third straight loss. The cash-strapped statutory body also said on Monday that it would review and introduce a more comprehensive compensation mechanism to cut its acquisition costs for redevelopment and provide better rehousing options for affected owners. Authority...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong urged to protect Sai Kung islands from overtourism, ecological damage

Greenpeace has called for the Hong Kong government to put in place conservation-driven measures to protect the Sai Kung outlying islands from ecological damage caused by overtourism. The green group raised the alarm on Friday after it found a large number of visitors trampling corals and excessively digging up coastal organisms in the city’s Unesco Global Geopark region. A site inspection by Greenpeace found that 4,062 people landed on Sharp Island, also known as Kiu Tsui Chau, on Wednesday, the...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong ombudsman flags toll management flaws at Western Harbour Crossing

Drivers have been assured of receiving clearer information over the real-time tolls at the Western Harbour Crossing following a Hong Kong government watchdog investigation, which identified shortcomings in the toll management system and inadequate staff training. In its report released on Friday, the ombudsman acknowledged that these deficiencies could cause some motorists to pay more than expected. The investigation was prompted by three complaints from drivers who said they were charged...

Politics

2 w. ago China Daily senior editor to helm publicity efforts at Hong Kong liaison office

Beijing has appointed a senior editor from its official English-language media as the chief publicity officer at its liaison office in Hong Kong, in a bid to improve the central government’s narratives for the international audience, the Post has learned. Official sources said Sun Shangwu, 56, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, would move to the city to take up the role of deputy director at Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, and take charge of publicity work. “Sun will greatly enhance...

Politics

2 w. ago US consulate in Hong Kong to continue services despite government shutdown

The US consulate in Hong Kong has said it will continue its passport and visa services in the city despite a funding freeze across the US federal government that shut down most of its operations. But the consulate said on Wednesday its website updates would be “limited” until full operations resumed, while its Instagram and Facebook accounts would not be updated regularly. “We will not update this account until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong government urged to save island school facing axe from low numbers

Hong Kong education authorities have been urged to retain a secondary school on the outlying island of Cheung Chau as the century-old institution faces the axe after failing to enrol sufficient Form One students. Cheung Chau Government Secondary School, founded in 1908, was unable to admit two Form One classes in the new academic year, the minimum requirement for government and aided secondary schools, according to the latest information from the education authorities. Islands district...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s extreme weather body tasked with bolstering typhoon response works

Hong Kong’s leader has tasked the government’s steering committee on handling extreme weather with improving works and facilities in typhoon-vulnerable areas after the city was brought to a standstill by Super Typhoon Ragasa last week. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the government had managed to minimise and swiftly recover from the damage of Ragasa, allowing business activities to resume last Wednesday night and society to largely return to normal the next day. Lee said...

Politics