13 h. ago Beijing slams US senators for ‘malicious’ bill targeting Hong Kong trade offices

Beijing’s foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong has “strongly condemned” a group of US senators for pushing what it calls “malicious legislation” that seeks to strip the city’s trade offices in the United States of their special privileges and potentially force their closure. A spokesman for the Commissioner’s Office of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong said the senators’ move exposed their “deep-rooted ideological prejudice” and “Cold War mentality”. “Any attempts to smear Hong Kong’s freedom and...

Events

17 h. ago Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application. Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on...

Politics

28 h. ago Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

The HK$4.4 billion (US$564 million) donated for Tai Po fire victims will grow gradually with interest earned from fixed deposits, the home affairs minister has told the Post, adding the money will also fund long-term resettlement. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the fund’s accountant, the Treasury, had put an “appropriate amount” of the unallocated donated money into fixed deposits. “Some say, ‘you are just leaving...

Politics

5 d. ago Singapore takes stock of lessons from Hong Kong’s Tai Po blaze

Singapore has begun reviewing early findings from the investigation into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po high-rise blaze, with ministers signalling that lessons from the tragedy could feed into tighter rules on construction and maintenance works in the city state. Lawmakers said in parliament on Monday that observations made by Hong Kong authorities about the fire at Wang Fuk Court would be studied and, where relevant, incorporated into Singapore’s legislation and policy framework. The blaze, which...

Politics

7 d. ago Including suppliers in new Hong Kong rules on scaffolding nets ‘overreaching’

Hong Kong’s development minister has ruled out expanding an approval system for scaffolding nets to cover suppliers, saying it would amount to government overreach, while the first batch of accredited mesh is expected to be available to contractors next week. The accreditation of scaffold nets was among measures introduced to enhance fire safety at construction sites following the deadly Tai Po inferno in November. The government ordered the removal of all netting on about 420 buildings...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Honest, principled’: Hong Kong political leaders pay tribute to ex

Hong Kong political heavyweights and former leaders gathered on Friday to pay tribute to late commerce minister Gregory So Kam-leung, as family and friends honoured his devotion to public service. Among those who attended the memorial ceremony for So, who died on December 13, were former city leaders Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Leung Chun-ying, along with senior government officials and veteran politicians. “We mourn the loss of a dear husband, loving father and grandfather, trusted friend and...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong transport chief calls for urgent fix to driving licence application queues

Hong Kong’s transport minister has directed her team to urgently address prolonged queues and potential abuses of the application system for test-free driving licences, as long lines formed overnight outside a government office to secure the daily quota of same-day application tickets. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Wednesday publicly urged the Transport Department to find prompt solutions, including ensuring that an enhanced online booking system was available before...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong I&T minister cancels US trip 4 hours after schedule unveiled

Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) minister has cancelled a trip to the United States following a “dynamic assessment” by the government, just four hours after it announced his three-day itinerary for the visit. In a statement issued at 4.20pm on Tuesday, the government said that Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong had cancelled his visit to the US, without explaining the reason behind the decision. An insider told the Post that Sun had not yet boarded the flight...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong remains a top countdown city as 200,000 visit on New Year’s Eve: minister

Tourist numbers on New Year’s Eve have shown that Hong Kong remains an attractive destination for countdowns, according to the tourism minister, with sector representatives underscoring the need to direct visitors to different parts of the city. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Saturday that close to 200,000 visitors arrived in Hong Kong on December 31 alone, contributing to a 12 per cent year-on-year increase in tourist figures between Christmas and the end...

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

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

4 w. ago Hong Kong minister urges landlords to avoid cashing in on Tai Po fire rent aid

Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has urged landlords against “fishing in troubled waters” by raising rents to pocket government subsidies meant to help displaced residents of the Tai Po fire. The appeal came days after the government announced it would provide affected homeowners of the Wang Fuk Court fire with an annual rental subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,280) for the next two years. “I hate to use the term, but it seems there are some landlords in the district, as some people also say, who...

Politics

4 w. ago ‘No leniency’: Hong Kong minister vows tougher building safety laws after Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s development chief has vowed to tighten building safety laws to punish those exploiting loopholes, warning that authorities will show no leniency towards the construction sector that has come under public scrutiny after the deadly Tai Po fire. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also said on Saturday that the government would take over incomplete building renovations posing safety risks, following delays caused by new inspection requirements implemented after the...

Politics