25 h. ago Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong lawmaker Duncan Chiu leads Legco affluence list with 54 properties

Hong Kong lawmaker Duncan Chiu owns 54 properties at home and overseas, more than any of the other 89 lawmakers, a review of their declaration of interests shows. But Chiu indicated that he is considering selling his properties in the West, citing geopolitical risks and his limited time for managing them. Chiu, the son of the late entrepreneur Deacon Chiu, represents the technology and innovation sector. He is among the five lawmakers who have declared ownership of more than 10 properties, and...

Society

3 d. ago Gaps laid bare by deadly Hong Kong fire focus of first Legco meeting of new term

Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers, many of them fresh faces on the political scene, held their first meeting on Wednesday, with officials pledging to address policy gaps exposed by the deadly Tai Po inferno, from tightening oversight of maintenance project tenders and raising homeowner voting thresholds to imposing a smoking ban at construction sites. Wednesday also marked the first time since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty 28 years ago that a city leader addressed the first session...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee to open new Legco’s first meeting with Tai Po fire on agenda

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will address the new batch of 90 lawmakers, followed by a...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee tells Legco fire relief, accountability at top of agenda

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council is holding its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu addressed the new batch of 90 lawmakers, highlighting government...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong Legco president sets up group of coordinators to improve efficiency

Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council president has formed a group of lawmakers to act as coordinators in a bid to make the body more efficient and effective. The 12-member group will have fellow lawmakers Ronick Chan Chun-ying, who represents the finance sector, and Stanley Ng Chau-pei of the Federation of Trade Unions as its “chief coordinators”, Legco president Starry Lee Wai-king said. In a Facebook post, the Legco president said she met fellow legislators on Monday morning and briefed them on...

Politics

5 d. ago New Hong Kong Legco president sets up group of coordinators to improve efficiency

Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council president has formed a group of lawmakers to act as coordinators in a bid to make the body more efficient and effective. Legco president Starry Lee Wai-king said on Monday that the 12-member group would have fellow lawmakers Ronick Chan Chun-ying, who represents the finance sector, and Stanley Ng Chau-pei of the Federation of Trade Unions as its “chief coordinators”. In a Facebook post, Lee said she met fellow legislators on Monday morning and briefed them on...

Politics

1 week ago Tight race for Hong Kong’s Legco presidency as parties allow free vote

Two candidates vying to become the next president of Hong Kong’s legislature are locked in a tight race as major political parties have given their members a free vote. The newly sworn-in members of the Legislative Council (Legco) will on Thursday elect either Starry Lee Wai-king of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) or finance sector representative Ronick Chan Chun-ying through a secret ballot. Before voting begins, both candidates will present their...

Politics

2 w. ago Veteran Hong Kong lawmakers Starry Lee, Ronick Chan in race for Legco presidency

Veteran Hong Kong lawmakers Starry Lee Wai-king and Ronick Chan Chun-ying have thrown their hats in the ring to be the Legislative Council’s next president, with a vote expected on January 8. Lee and Chan are running to succeed former president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, who stepped down after deciding not to seek re-election in the Legco poll last month. Lee is the city’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the country’s top legislative body, and one of Legco’s most...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong lawmaker Starry Lee says NPC role not in conflict with Legco presidency

Hong Kong lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king has said her role as a delegate to China’s top legislative body is not in conflict with the presidency of the legislature, as she looks to unite lawmakers and align their work with national goals. Lee, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), was responding to a question about whether she would seek the presidency of the Legislative Council. Without giving a definitive reply, she said details would be clearer during the...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s Starry Lee seeks to unite lawmakers, but quiet about Legco presidency

Hong Kong’s Starry Lee Wai-king has said her roles as a delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and at the Legislative Council do not conflict, but she has stopped short of revealing whether she will run for the latter’s presidency. Lee, a member of China’s top legislative body, on Sunday held off giving a definitive reply about whether she would seek election as Legco president. Details would be clearer during the presidency’s nomination period, after the newly...

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

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

Incoming lawmakers should prioritise helping the Hong Kong government advance policy reforms and deepen 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 new lawmakers would need to assist the government in devising a prudent and pragmatic budget, set to be unveiled in February, as well as tackling the aftermath of the Tai Po fire that broke out on November 26 and claimed at...

Politics

3 w. ago Deadly Tai Po blaze affected Hong Kong Legco election voter turnout, minister says

Voter turnout in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election was affected by the city’s deadliest fire in decades, recording the second-lowest rate since the 1997 handover despite a modest rise from the previous poll, the constitutional affairs chief has said. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai stressed on Sunday that the government had not set a “hard indicator” for the turnout rate in the 2025 Legco poll, which reached 31.9 per cent. “I believe the fire had an...

Politics