7 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

9 h. ago Infrequent yet unforgettable: Hong Kong’s rare cases of police opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

9 h. ago Hong Kong’s rare cases of police officers opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

33 h. ago Hong Kong’s latest office landmark nearly full as segment upturn simmers

The newest landmark office tower in Hong Kong’s main business zone is nearing full occupancy a year and a half after it welcomed its first tenants, suggesting improving fortunes in the city’s office property segment. The Henderson – the prime commercial development and namesake tower for one of Hong Kong’s largest developers – reached 90 per cent occupancy recently, Henderson Land said on Friday. The 36-storey building in Central counts among its tenants auction house Christie’s, alternative...

Politics

35 h. ago Hong Kong man in court over seditious acts, media arson threats calls it ‘mischief’

A Hong Kong man accused of threatening to burn down the offices of five local media outlets if they did not publish seditious articles has described his actions as mischief, a court has heard. West Kowloon Court on Friday granted a request by Tse Chun-pan, 43, to adjourn the hearing for two months so that his lawyers could continue negotiations with prosecutors regarding his plea. Tse, who said he was a social security officer, faces one count of knowingly publishing seditious articles and six...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong customs arrests 62, seizes HK$431 million of drugs in joint operation

Hong Kong Customs has arrested 62 people and seized about 1.4 tonnes of suspected drugs worth roughly HK$431 million (US$55.27 million) in a major crackdown at the city’s airport, carried out with mainland Chinese and overseas authorities. The Customs and Excise Department said on Wednesday that a months-long operation conducted from October to December targeted criminals smuggling drugs through passenger and cargo channels at Hong Kong International Airport. Officers uncovered syndicates...

Events

4 d. ago Hong Kong government to replace Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan

Hong Kong authorities have replaced Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man, who recently apologised for her choice of attire at the funeral of the firefighter who died in the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court fire. Two government sources told the Post on Tuesday that her removal was not triggered by the episode, but had been planned “for a long period of time” after multiple internal complaints against Chan, who had served in the role for seven years. Those complaints were related to her abrasive...

Politics

4 d. ago Beijing calls on Hong Kong to take lead in globalising traditional Chinese medicine

China’s top health official has called on Hong Kong to serve as a key pillar in promoting traditional Chinese medicine globally, as the city’s leader pledged to align local policies with the national development strategy in the field. At a launch ceremony for the Chinese Medicine Hospital and nearby testing institute on Tuesday, National Health Commission head Lei Haichao offered advice for Hong Kong in advancing the development of traditional Chinese Medicine. “Serve the globe for the benefit...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong official softens stance on rebuilding homes at Tai Po fire site

Hong Kong’s deputy finance chief has softened his stance on resettlement options for people displaced by the deadly Tai Po fire, pledging to take residents’ wishes into account days after calling on-site redevelopment “not practical”. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Monday that rehousing the residents of the blaze-hit Wang Fuk Court estate would be handled “with compassion, reason and in accordance with the law”. Wong, who chairs a government task force on emergency...

Politics

5 d. ago Financial firm Ares doubles Hong Kong office footprint as real estate outlook improves

Ares Management, one of Asia’s largest alternative investment managers, is doubling its real estate footprint in Hong Kong, a move that aligns with a broader expansion by financial firms and demand for office space in the core Central business district. The Los Angeles-based asset manager would add about 12,500 sq ft of space in Gloucester Tower, where it has been a tenant since 2017, according to a statement from the landlord Hongkong Land on Monday. The new lease will be effective in...

Economics

7 d. ago Hong Kong slams attempts to ‘smear’ government ahead of Jimmy Lai mitigation

A top Hong Kong official has condemned attempts by external forces and “anti-China absconders” to “smear” the government ahead of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s mitigation hearing, saying the former media boss’ conviction showed that any plots to undermine national security will fail. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said on Saturday that such smear campaigns during Lai’s national security trial were proof that Hong Kong still faced risks that could not be taken...

Politics

8 d. ago Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

I attended a memorial service last month for victims of the Nanking massacre, held at the Hong Kong government offices in Admiralty. Such occasions are solemn reminders of history’s darkest moments, forcing us to pause and reflect on the scale of the tragedy that unfolded after the city was seized on December 13, 1937, and the broader suffering inflicted on China during World War II. Government figures estimate that military and civilian casualties exceeded 35 million, with 21 million lives...

Events

9 d. ago Hong Kong’s late summer flu season is over. But official says jabs still vital

Hong Kong has emerged from its summer flu season, which started late and extended into the new year, but a health official is urging the public to get vaccinated immediately to stave off a looming winter surge. This year’s summer influenza season began in early September and reached its peak in mid-to-late October. It lasted about four months, with authorities putting the death toll at 345 people, including three children. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection,...

Politics

9 d. ago Drivers show up at Hong Kong licensing offices despite end of walk

Some applicants for test-free driving licences turned up at a Hong Kong government office on Thursday hoping to secure walk-in appointments, despite transport authorities having suspended the arrangement that had drawn long queues and scalpers. Following the announcement of the policy change, a Post reporter spotted three applicants attempting to book a walk-in appointment at the Transport Department’s licensing office in Admiralty. They said they were either unaware of the changes or simply...

Politics

1 week ago Morgan Stanley lifts Hong Kong property to ‘attractive’, with rebound to extend into 2027

Morgan Stanley upgraded Hong Kong’s property sector to “attractive”, noting that an all-round improvement in the city’s economy and a policy-driven recovery will continue to push prices higher this year. The US investment bank forecast home prices to rise around 10 per cent in 2026, with further gains expected in 2027, pointing out that the ongoing rebound marks the start of a new upcycle. “We expect all three sub-segments – Hong Kong residential prices, Central office rents and retail rents –...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong councillors urge swift rebuilding and rehousing options after Tai Po fire

Tai Po district councillors have urged the government to expedite rebuilding plans and offer Wang Fuk Court residents a range of rehousing options after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, as officials pledged to weigh the pros and cons of each proposal. At the first meeting of Tai Po District Council since the fire on November 26, all 22 members attended, including Peggy Wong Pik-kiu, who has come under heavy scrutiny for advising the owners’ corporation of the housing estate on its HK$330...

Events

1 week ago Winter monsoon to push Hong Kong temperatures to 11 degrees in coming days

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 will experience cooler weather over the next couple of days, with temperatures set to fall to as low as 11 degrees Celsius (51.8 Fahrenheit) under the influence of a winter monsoon and a widening gap in daily readings. Senior scientific officer Tong Yu-fai of the Hong Kong...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong office leasing rebound lifts outlook for 2026, but rents remain under pressure

Hong Kong’s battered office sector showed cautious signs of life in 2025, supported by improved take-up in core districts and a slower pace of rental declines and –. while analysts said that trend was set to continue into 2026 – rents were unlikely to rise over the next six months. The coming year was expected to build on the market’s momentum, with stabilisation emerging as the dominant theme, analysts said. Vacancy rates in prime assets in core districts were likely to steady further, but...

Society

1 week ago Hongkonger who allegedly posed as officer held over burglaries aimed at elderly

Hong Kong police have arrested a 50-year-old man who allegedly posed as a government officer and stole HK$20,000 (US$2,570) from unsuspecting elderly residents in three separate burglaries. Police on Sunday said they had arrested the man, surnamed Chan, in Ta Kwu Ling on Saturday in connection with three burglaries that occurred in December in Cheung Sha Wan, Sham Shui Po and Tuen Mun. The force said that between December 25 and 29, three residents reported that a man who posed as an officer...

Events

2 w. ago Back to the Past film, starring Louis Koo and Raymond Lam, smashes Hong Kong record

Historical science fiction action film Back to the Past, starring actors Louis Koo Tin-lok and Raymond Lam Fung, has broken the opening-day record for a Chinese film despite a gloomy box office last year. Hong Kong’s box office sank to a 14-year low of HK$1.13 billion (US$145.2 million) in 2025 from a year earlier amid a wave of cinema shutdowns, according to data compiled by industry body Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Friday. Last year’s best performing films – both locally produced and from...

Politics