15 h. ago Hong Kong minister hints at scrapping of MPF tax break proposal for elderly

Hong Kong’s labour minister has dropped the biggest hint yet that authorities intend to scrap a proposal to raise the tax deduction amount for employers’ voluntary pension contributions to older workers, a plan for encouraging greater workforce participation. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday that a government working group on promoting the silver economy decided that the proposed tax initiative “complicated” the policy objective of the Mandatory Provident Fund...

Politics

25 h. ago Hong Kong uniquely placed to help fill global public goods gap left by US

USAID, long one of the foremost tools of US soft power, ended its six decades as an independent agency on July 1, with no details on how it had been reviewed disclosed. Meanwhile, the China-initiated International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), made a high-profile debut in Hong Kong in May. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration and stressed looking for ways to resolve issues “so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others”. This...

Politics

25 h. ago Hong Kong has new path to prominence as a hub for public goods

USAID, long one of the foremost tools of US soft power, ended its six decades as an independent agency on July 1, with no details on how it had been reviewed disclosed. Meanwhile, the China-initiated International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), made a high-profile debut in Hong Kong in May. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration and stressed looking for ways to resolve issues “so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others”. This...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong education chief puts onus on schools amid competition for students

Hong Kong’s education minister has said that schools struggling with insufficient student enrolment must evaluate their own performance in meeting parents’ expectations rather than relying on government intervention. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said the education sector should not insist on keeping the existing number of schools and emphasised a need for “metabolism” to ensure its vitality. In an interview with local media last Friday, she said that the recent policy...

Politics

8 d. ago Schools with shrinking numbers must fix their problems: Hong Kong education chief

Hong Kong’s education minister has said that schools struggling with insufficient student enrolment must evaluate their own performance in meeting parents’ expectations rather than relying on government intervention. Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said the education sector should not insist on keeping the existing number of schools and emphasised a need for “metabolism” to ensure its vitality. In an interview with local media last Friday, she said that the recent policy...

Politics

8 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

9 d. ago Beijing sanctions Manila’s South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has announced sanctions on former Philippine Senate leader Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended yesterday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

9 d. ago Beijing sanctions South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has sanctioned the former Senate leader of the Philippines Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended on Monday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political term, not legal one

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political term, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ term political, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong developers urged to link up with mainland firms on border project

Hong Kong’s development minister has suggested that local developers join hands with their mainland Chinese counterparts to take part in the Northern Metropolis border town megaproject using a new approach. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on Saturday that the government was studying proposals submitted by various developers and aimed to put one or two large land parcels in the Northern Metropolis project up for tender in the second half of the year. Linn stressed that the...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s strengths in bridging East and West amid trade war: finance chief

Hong Kong’s finance minister has dismissed concerns that foreigners are avoiding the city because of its strong connections to the mainland Chinese market amid the trade war, saying that investors are showing their confidence with their capital. At the “Summer Davos” forum on Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said Hong Kong’s strengths lay in giving investors priority access to the mainland market while helping businesses across the border to go global and diversify their supply...

Events

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s strengths lie in bridging East, West amid trade war: finance chief

Hong Kong’s finance minister has dismissed concerns that foreigners are avoiding the city because of its strong connections to the mainland Chinese market amid the trade war, saying that investors are showing their confidence with their capital. At the “Summer Davos” forum on Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said Hong Kong’s strengths lay in giving investors priority access to the mainland market while helping businesses across the border to go global and diversify their supply...

Events

2 w. ago Angel Chong, youngest district councillor, enters Miss Hong Kong Pageant

The youngest district councillor in Hong Kong is running in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, with the home affairs minister reminding her to fulfil her public duties and leaving open the question of whether she will need to step down if crowned. The news of Sai Kung district councillor Angel Chong Nga-ting, 24, joining the pageant contest came to light on Tuesday when she appeared at Tseung Kwan O TVB City for the first round of interviews. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said...

Politics

4 w. ago Hong Kong shouldn’t let lack of space hold up Guangdong driver scheme: minister

Hong Kong should not be held back by a lack of land or parking spaces in pushing ahead with a plan to let Guangdong province residents drive to the city, the transport minister has said, as she reiterated that the scheme would be rolled out with strict controls. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan told lawmakers on Wednesday that the government was working with mainland Chinese authorities to implement the scheme and had ruled out the need to establish separate restricted zones or...

Politics

4 w. ago Beijing slams Washington for supporting jailed Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong

China’s foreign ministry arm in Hong Kong on Wednesday voiced its disapproval of the United States’ “blatant support” of jailed activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, while accusing Washington of smearing police’s enforcement actions. Last Friday, Hong Kong national security police levelled a fresh charge against Joshua Wong Chi-fung, accusing him of conspiring with fugitive ex-lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung to collude with foreign forces five years ago. A US Department of State spokesman strongly...

Events