4 h. ago Hong Kong urged to expand carer support scheme to cover other vulnerable groups

A Hong Kong pilot scheme to identify hidden cases of at-risk carers should be expanded to also cover other low-income families and subdivided flat tenants, a social worker and a district councillor have urged, as a new database to address the issue began operation. The first part of the government initiative began at 9am on Monday and will see the Hospital Authority send daily alerts to the Social Welfare Department if any carers among the 8,000 to 9,000 households listed in the database have...

Politics

28 h. ago Hong Kong should seek Olympic gold with a bid for 2036 Summer Games

I hope I’m not upsetting anyone’s plans for a relaxing summer, but I think the Hong Kong government should start urgently on a bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. We can do it, cities within the Greater Bay Area need it and competitors are already lining up. The Summer Olympics have been held 20 times since resuming after the Second World War. The locations of the next two games, in 2028 and 2032, have already been determined. Hosting the Olympics is a fair reflection of a city’s financial...

Sport

4 d. ago Will speeding up rail line for Northern Metropolis entice Hong Kong developers?

The Hong Kong government’s plan to speed up the construction of the rail backbone of the Northern Metropolis near the border with mainland China will make the megaproject more appealing to developers, but whether they will be persuaded to invest is another matter, experts have said. Amid a depressed property market, developers have voiced concerns over their profit margins if they commit to building in the hub, which Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong urged the city to...

Politics

6 d. ago Experts urge Hong Kong to be a ‘value partner’, not just a ‘superconnector’

Hong Kong should ensure it acts as a “value partner” in addition to its role as a “superconnector” between mainland China and the rest of the world, rather than a mere facilitator of connections, according to experts including the city’s former commerce chief. Speaking at the South China Morning Post 2025 China Conference themed “Where Capital Meets Innovation” on Tuesday, the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said Hong Kong should not merely aim to...

Politics

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s redomiciliation push lures global firms from tax havens

Christopher Hui Ching-yu has recently been on a world tour, conducting roadshows in Canada, the UK and Norway, in an effort to urge global businesses to redomicile in Hong Kong. The main talking point for Hui, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, has been a new law, enacted in May, that sought to make it easier for overseas companies to reincorporate in the city. Just a few days after the law came into force, Hui flew to Canada to meet senior executives from insurers Manulife...

Economics

2 w. 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 Cut rents now or miss out, CY Leung tells Hong Kong landlords

Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has urged landlords to lower rents as the city’s commercial property vacancy rate hit a 40-year high and retailers cried foul over being forced to close businesses to stem losses. In his social media post on Thursday, Leung pointed to the rate of vacant commercial buildings in the city, which reached a record high of 11.8 per cent by the end of 2024. He said that soaring rents had forced restaurants to have extremely cramped washrooms and to store...

Politics

2 w. ago Lawmakers call for rents in Hong Kong student hostels to be regulated

Hong Kong lawmakers have urged authorities to regulate university hostel rents as more office buildings and hotels are set to be converted into student accommodation, with the Post finding market rates for some are four times higher than for campus dormitories. The legislators made the call on Tuesday as they discussed a new government policy under which authorities will relax planning rules for developers to convert offices and hotels into hostels in a pilot scheme to be launched next month, to...

Society

2 w. ago ‘Soft resistance’ is real, still exists in Hong Kong, John Lee warns

“Soft Resistance” still definitely exists in Hong Kong, the chief executive has said, urging residents to remain vigilant as “many villains” are trying to threaten national security. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that criticism of the local government was acceptable only if it did not intend to undermine national security. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui earlier said that authorities would step up scrutiny in granting venues and funds to shows...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Soft resistance’ is real and still exists in Hong Kong, John Lee warns

“Soft resistance” still definitely exists in Hong Kong, the chief executive has said, urging residents to remain vigilant as “many villains” are trying to threaten national security. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that criticism of the local government was acceptable only if it did not intend to undermine national security. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui earlier said that authorities would guard against soft resistance by stepping up scrutiny...

Events

3 w. ago Remove barriers to speed up Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis: Xia Baolong

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has urged local authorities to speed up work on the Northern Metropolis megaproject by removing barriers while also safeguarding national security against the threat of “soft resistance”, according to the city’s leader. Seeing off Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) director Xia Baolong at the border at the end of his five-day visit, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Sunday that the city was told to take advantage of the stability and safety...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong landlords urged to register subdivided flats ahead of 2027 deadline

Hong Kong landlords of subdivided flats will be able to register their properties for rectification to official standards as early as March next year, with authorities planning to enforce a new law in 2027, the city’s first legal regime to govern the notorious shoebox housing issue. The Housing Bureau submitted its regulatory proposals to the Legislative Council on Thursday. This paves the way to eradicate substandard housing, allowing properties that achieve official accreditation to remain on...

Events

3 w. ago Hong Kong presses ahead with plans to regulate notorious subdivided flats

Hong Kong is pressing ahead with legislation to regulate the city’s notorious subdivided flats, with authorities planning to enforce proposed new laws from 2027 and landlords able to register their properties as early as March next year. The Housing Bureau submitted its regulatory proposals to the legislature on Thursday, with the bill to be tabled on July 9. It is expected to pass before the current Legislative Council term ends in October, paving the way for the city to finally eradicate...

Politics